Broken Together
by EverlastingAutumnLeaves
Summary: After experiencing the tyranny of the Great Diamond Authority several times in her lifetime, sentient, humanoid, forced fusion Rhodonite teams up with some unlikely friends, including another Gem anomaly, a scavenger, a homicidal Pearl, and many others, to rise up, become modern day Crystal Gems and take down the Diamonds from the inside.
1. A Strange Finding

"I was thinking, maybe we could take the drills off of these injectors to add to our machine." Pearl explained as the crew walked through the Kindergarten.

"Well, then we better get started." Garnet formed her gauntlets when she heard a groaning noise not too far away.

"Did you hear that?" Amethyst asked.

"More gem mutants." Steven speculated.

"Well, we better bubble it now before it gets in the way." Garnet ordered.

"Aye aye, Garnet!" Pearl said obediently.

The five Gems, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Peridot, and Steven walked through the Kindergarten, following the voice.

"We`re getting close." Steven whispered.

They crept around the corner to see something that didn`t look like a gem mutant..it looked like a real Gem, and she was looking around, trying to grasp where she was. The Gem was about the height of Pearl and it had two toned skin, a light pink with dark blue and black veining. She was wearing baggy pants, almost like harem pants, and a cropped top, both of which were dark blue. Her hair was puffy, like Garnet`s or Sapphire`s, and it was in a mohawk, the hair was slightly darker pink than her skin with blue and black streaks running through. She also had a gem on her neck, that was pink mixed with a blue gem.

"You don`t think..That could be a forced fusion?" Steven asked.

"I think it is." Pearl whispered back.

"Well, WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK IT IS?! Peridot said louder than needed. "THERE ARE NO OTHER GEMS ON EARTH!"

The Gem looked at the group with frightened, yet relieved eyes. She tried to stand, but had trouble. Steven, being his usual helpful self, ran to help the Gem to her feet, as the others whisper-yelled, "Steven!"

Steven led the Gem over to the group, the Gem was unstable, with labored breaths and a frightened expression. The other Gems backed away slowly, unsure of what to think.

"Hey, I`m Steven, what`s yours?" Steven asked perkily.

The Gem lurched her head up and looked at everyone, then looked back at Steven, "I...I don`t know."

"She must`ve just emerged, but how peculiar, they weren`t supposed to look like this." Peridot studied the Gem.

"Her name will come to her, give her a few minutes of consciousness, but for now she seems harmless, let`s take her back to the temple. Pearl, you and Peridot will get started on getting these drills. Amethyst, you will also be helping them. Steven and I will handle this...thing." Garnet ordered the team, then her eyes fell on Steven and the new Gem. "Move out."

Everyone got to work as Garnet walked to the warp pad, Steven following behind, acting as a crutch for the struggling Gem.

When the three warped back to the temple, the Gem was standing straight, instead of flopping like a test dummy, she looked lost in thought, but Steven wasn`t sure.

"Rhodonite." The Gem broke the silence.

"What?" Steven and Garnet asked in unison.

"My name is Rhodonite." The Gem showed a light bit of a smile, but her teeth were jarring in appearance, sharp, like some sort of creature.

Steven showed hints of discontent with Rhodonite`s teeth (Without meaning to), so the Gem shied away and wiped the smile off her face.


	2. Gem Training (Clap of Thunder)

Overnight, Rhodonite began to get a lot more talkative, she was still quiet and reserved, frankly lost in thought, but she still occasionally said things, and because the Gem couldn`t possibly know anything about the experiments, the Crystal Gems didn`t jump into interrogation.

"Aren`t you excited? Today you are going to get a lesson from the Gems! I always love those!" Steven said to Rhodonite, who was sitting on the couch, staring into space.

Rhodonite looked up, suddenly becoming alert. "I suppose." Rhodonite went back to thinking.

"So, whatcha thinking about?" Steven asked, peeking over to make eye contact with the Gem.

All that flashed through Rhodonite`s mind was a giant flail coming down on her as she heard the person behind the eyes scream, "Help, Sodalite!" Before Rhodonite snapped out of the dream and held her head, wincing in agony.

"Hey! What is it?" Steven moved closer to Rhodonite and tried to wrap his arm around her comfortingly.

"It`s-" Rhodonite began but was interrupted as the three Crystal Gems warped into the living room. "Nothing." Rhodonite stood up.

"Steven, we`ll be gone a while, there`s snacks in the fridge, stay out of trouble. I love you, bye." Garnet said as the Gems warped out of the living room.

* * *

"Okay, Rhodonite, whoever you are. We`ll start with summoning your weapon, and then we`ll move on to other things, like fusion." Peridot began.

"We all have different ways of summoning our weapons, you just have to find yours, and find your weapon." Pearl explained. "If your body is capable." She whispered under her breath.

"Try to summon your weapon. Maybe your weapon is a defensive one!" Amethyst pulled out her whip and began to slash at Rhodonite. Rhodonite whimpered a bit in terror, and grabbed her Gem, hoping something would happen.

Nothing did, her gem stayed dull.

Rhodonite jumped out of the way, and fell in the dodging process.

"Hmm, interesting. We`ll work on that. Let`s try fusion." Pearl said.

The Gems looked at each other.

"Well, someone has to do it!" Peridot shouted.

"I volunteer Pearl." Amethyst broke the awkwardness.

"Amethyst! I-" Pearl shouted before looking at Rhodonite, who was looking at a butterfly as it fluttered around her. "Fine." Pearl walked over to Rhodonite.

"Yeah, Pearl! Let`s mash it up!" Amethyst shouted before cracking up.

"Um, nobody has actually showed me this before...I don`t think." Rhodonite stuttered.

"Garnet, help me out here.." Pearl looked at Garnet.

"Just dance and see what happens, but try to combine your lights together." Garnet said.

Pearl and Rhodonite bowed to each other, Pearl looking quite graceful and dainty, Rhodonite just followed her lead.

Pearl twirled around, but Rhodonite stepped back, unsure of what to do.

"Dance like you!" Garnet shouted.

Rhodonite squatted slightly and began to move her arms about in a dance similar to waacking. Pearl leaped forward toward Rhodonite, full stride out, only to trip over Rhodonite`s leg and fall.

Rhodonite stood up and covered her mouth in shock as she helped Pearl up. "Sorry, sorry! I am so sorry. I didn`t know what happened I-"

Pearl dusted herself off. "It`s fine, but you clearly need a different dancing partner."

The Gems began to walk back toward the warp pad.

"That`s it? Come on, we have to practice more! I remember... I remember fighting for this place! I remember fighting in this very sky area, I remember that you fought for Rose Quartz wholeheartedly, Pearl, without a shadow of doubt that what you were doing was wrong, and when I watched you fight, I didn`t think for a second that you questioned that your existence was even worth it. Mine might not be worth it to you, and I don`t know how...this, happened or how it works, but I want to fight, be a Crystal Gem again! Please give me that chance, I don`t have much reason to be alive, please give me one!" Rhodonite shouted.

The Gems turned around, silent and shocked.

"There`s nothing we can do right now, except keep training, and we have a lot on our hands, just practice on your own." Garnet walked up to Rhodonite and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I don`t know what you were created for, but if you really have the capabilities of a fusion, then you have the potential and power in you, it`s not that we don`t care, we do, we just have other priorities. Got it?"

Rhodonite nodded.

"So basically you aren`t important." Peridot said, smirking then giggling.

"Don`t mind her, she`s still learning." Amethyst smiled.

* * *

It was raining, but Rhodonite didn`t care, she liked the rain, and she liked to sit outside, let it touch the skin that even she was unfamiliar with. She stared blankly off at the stratus clouds and the few lightning strikes on the horizon. Rhodonite then closed her eyes, allowing her mind to escape.

* * *

"No, _you_ don`t understand!" The person behind the eyes shouted angrily at a pink gem that sported a ponytail and a lighter pink tank and a medium pink short skirt.

The eyes looked up, seeing a thunderstorm form above her. She felt the warm air hit her as a few lightning strikes came down too close for comfort. The rain fell and hit her skin, it soothed her, felt like cold, wet kisses. But the pink Gem couldn`t see that, she suddenly feared the Gem behind the storm. The storm Gem tried to shut down the storm before something happened, but her inner rage caused a lightning strike to come down.

* * *

CLAP! Thunder rolled loudly and a large lightning strike came down in the distance as Rhodonite banged her fist on the porch screaming in fear, anger and sorrow. Steven was there, he held Rhodonite`s shoulders and helped her calm down.

"Whoa, hey! What has been going on with you?" Steven asked.

"I..I...dreams." Rhodonite stuttered.

Don`t worry, I have weird dreams too." Steven smiled. "How was training with the Gems? What is your weapon?"

Rhodonite let out a slight laugh. "I can`t summon my weapon. I can`t do anything, I can`t be a Crystal Gem, I`m not even sure if I`m a Gem at all!" She sighed. "You should`ve seen the way you guys looked at me when we first met, I`m a disgrace, an embarrassment, and I shouldn`t be here! I should be shattered in the ground, at least then I know who I am! It`s not fair!" A loud clap of thunder rolled.

"Look, we really aren`t real Gems either. Garnet`s a fusion, she`s two Gems, Amethyst is a defective quartz, Pearl is a Pearl, Peridot is a failed Homeworld mission coordinator and a traitor, and I`m a Gem/Human hybrid. We aren`t like all the others, but we`re people, we still have feelings, we still have strengths and weaknesses. You`ll find your place on the team, and you`ll be amazing at it, even if you are just there for moral support or to relieve a hurt member, you are a Crystal Gem now, and we wouldn`t be the Crystal Gems without you." Steven hugged Rhodonite.

"Even without a weapon?" Rhodonite asked.

"Yep!" Steven smiled.


	3. Rave Tonight!

"Steven, you can watch this lesson." Pearl said.

"Alright!" Steven shouted happily.

The Gems kept trying new things to get Rhodonite`s gem to glow, but to no avail. They kept trying new ways of getting Rhodonite to summon her weapon, from throwing boulders at her to getting her angry, Rhodonite`s gem remained dull, lifeless. It left everyone panting, gasping for breath. The Crystal Gems, exerted from trying literally everything, and Rhodonite, exhausted from everything being thrown at her.

"Let`s just get on to fusion." Amethyst said in between breaths.

"Oh no, I`m not doing it again." Pearl said in a scolding fashion.

"I volunteer Amethyst." Garnet stopped the argument before it started. Peridot snickered and Pearl smirked mischievously at Amethyst.

"Oh, fine. As long as Pearl gets that look off her face." Amethyst walked over to Rhodonite.

Amethyst immediately started twerking, which was foreign to Rhodonite. She blushed and tried to copy Amethyst`s dancing style, but nothing really happened, it was just Amethyst and Rhodonite twerking side by side.

"Oh! I can`t sit here any longer and watch you two dance like that! Pearl ran over and pulled Rhodonite out of the twerking session.

"Well, not _everyone_ can do ballet!" Amethyst shouted.

"Ugh, but simultaneously moving your butts up and down isn`t how you fuse either!" Pearl shouted back.

"Garnet, I guess we`ll be working with you tomorrow." Amethyst grinned devilishly as she walked over to the warp pad. Everyone else followed, including Rhodonite. She knew they had to work on the drill. Besides, Rhodonite didn`t like dancing in front of them.

* * *

"Hey Rhodonite, I noticed that you`re kinda good at dancing! Sour Cream`s having a rave tonight, you should go!" Steven said to an obviously bored Rhodonite who was doing tricks with a yo-yo she found.

"Good at dancing?" Rhodonite caught the yo-yo. "I can`t fuse without tripping someone, I swear I almost broke Pearl`s nose the first time I tried fusing." Rhodonite said.

"Don`t give up yet, and besides, maybe you are better dancing on your own! Try it, I`ll turn on a song and you just dance to it." Steven walked over to the boombox and turned on some electronic music, with bass you could feel, it made Steven`s pulse try to match the beat.

Rhodonite crouched and began to move her arms around quickly and rhythmically, much like Garnet`s waacking, she stood up and shook her hips a few times. She moved her legs back and forth, then bent her knees slightly, held her fist up and cruised to the beat. She spun around and jumped around, moving her arms like a rapper dropping beats, popping and locking, and she even dropped it low and moved her backside up and down, causing Steven to blush just a little.

Rhodonite rolled her hips to the melody, then turned around, looked back slyly, then turned back around and dropped it low again just before jumping up and doing a sloppy back-flip.

"That was great! You should definitely go to that rave tonight! It`ll help you feel better, maybe dancing could be a creative outlet for you!" Steven said as he turned off the boombox.

"I don`t know, I`ll be all alone with people staring at me and dancing is kind of a cruel reminder that I can`t fuse. Besides, my dancing is spastic and weird, not smooth like Garnet or Pearl`s." Rhodonite said nervously.

"Oh, I`ll be with you! I can show you to my friend Connie and we can go together!" Steven suggested.

"I`m sorry, but having two human children chaperon me doesn`t exactly ease my anxiety." Rhodonite said.

"Oh, you won`t be chaperoned by two human children." Steven replied.

"What do you mean?" Rhodonite asked.

* * *

"STEVONNIE?!" Rhodonite was shocked beyond belief. "A Gem fusing with a human being, it`s absurd, unimaginable! I don`t know what to say..."

"I remember getting that the first time." Stevonnie said.

"So you`ll be with me there, but not you?" Rhodonite asked.

"Pretty much, and you can trust Connie." Stevonnie reassured Rhodonite as they began to walk up to the warehouse where the rave was being held.

A dubstep song played so loud you can hear it from a mile away, with bass you could feel in your bones and melodies that swirled in your very soul. The disco lights were the only really bright light in that part of town, it was like the nebula of a galaxy. Rhodonite and Stevonnie peeked in, getting a lay of the land as well as who was there. The usual suspects, and of course, Sour Cream throwing glowsticks and dropping beats like always.

"Ready?" Stevonnie asked, you could obviously tell Steven was in control, because Connie would be insecure like Rhodonite.

"Uh, I`m having second thoughts." Rhodonite looked at Stevonnie worriedly.

"Don`t worry, I`m right behind you." Stevonnie smiled.

Rhodonite stepped onto the dance floor and began a simple pop and lock routine, but it immediately popped eyes. Rhodonite stopped paying attention to the people as she went to a hip roll while she moved her arms back and forth in a lasso move. She turned around, looked back slyly and grooved to the beat until she turned around and shook her body and squatted slowly until she was on the floor dropping it low. By then, everyone was looking at her, gasping and murmuring amongst themselves. Rhodonite stopped and slowly rose from her position, looking around anxiously, she looked like she was about to have a panic attack...

Luckily, Stevonnie slid in on her knees, then spun around as she got up. Stevonnie began to pop and lock, Rhodonite followed, and they did a dance routine together, ending in Rhodonite twirling and dipping Stevonnie. She had a small hope that she would fuse with Stevonnie, but of course, both of their Gems stayed dull. Rhodonite quickly shook off her disappointed face as she and Stevonnie broke from the pose. The two smiled and hugged each other, laughing.

* * *

"Bye Connie! Thanks for helping out!" Steven yelled just before shutting the door.

Rhodonite was laying on her back on the couch, looking at the ceiling.

"How did you like that rave? How`d it make you feel?" Steven asked.

"Worth something." Rhodonite said.


	4. Discussion Time

It was the same old practice, the Gems were running out of options, and nothing was happening. Rhodonite appeared aloof, as always. The Gems wondered what she was thinking about all the time...

"Help, Sodalite!" Screams of agony kept replaying in Rhodonite`s mind, over and over again, and it was seemingly the same two voices, one who always cried for Sodalite, and the other was an enraged battle cry and visions of a giant flail hurling towards her. They haunted Rhodonite, and caused a storm to brew over her head.

The Crystal Gems were whispering among themselves until they noticed the sky getting darker with clouds, they swirled above Rhodonite`s head.

"What`s happening?" Amethyst asked.

"It`s Rhodonite, we have to snap her out of this." Garnet said, running over to the Gem. She shook her, trying to get her to stop the storm, or at least provide some insight into what was happening.

Rhodonite snapped out of the nightmare, wailing once again, a lightning strike came down and almost hit Garnet right on the head. "No, you don`t understand!" She shouted as the strike came down.

"What`s that supposed to mean?" Amethyst asked.

"Whatever it meant, we have to stop Rhodonite before someone gets hurt." Pearl said, they began to charge at Rhodonite before the storm died down and Rhodonite fell to her knees.

The Gems were baffled, and they stopped to help her up.

"What...what happened?" Rhodonite asked groggily.

"Your lesson is over, go back to the temple, we`ll be right with you." Pearl said.

Rhodonite walked out of the Sky Area and warped back to the temple..

* * *

"Well, how`d your session with the Gems go?" Steven asked Rhodonite as she warped back into the living room and walked back to the couch, where Steven was already sitting.

"I`m not sure, no weapon, no fusion, but I..did some things that may be questionable." Rhodonite said, looking back at the temple door with worry.

"What did you do?" Steven asked.

"I almost poofed Garnet, if it was even me who did it, a lightning strike came down, my daydreams have been haunting me, it`s like they`re trying to tell me something, I guess it caused some...weird emotions..I`m not even sure how it happened. It`s all coming back to me." Rhodonite replied.

"Do you think you have the ability to control weather? Like, it matches your mental state?" Steven was thinking out loud.

"Maybe, but the Gems are discussing what to do with me back at the Sky Arena. Knowing my luck, I`ll be poofed, shattered, or thrown back into the Kindergarten with the other useless, wandering monstrosities." Rhodonite sat next to Steven on the couch.

"I can help you!" Steven stood up, shouting.

"How can you possibly help me this time?" Rhodonite asked.

"I can go to the Sky Arena and defend you! You don`t seem bad, you never did, and I`m going to fight to keep you." Steven said.

"Okay, if you wish." Rhodonite leaned back and relaxed on the couch, because it could be her last time.

Steven warped out of the room, straight to the Sky Arena...

* * *

Steven warped into the Sky Arena, and heard the Gems talking in the actual arena of the thing. Steven hid behind the wall in between him and the Gems, listening to everything.

"We have too many other problems, we have to build this drill and stop the Cluster, we also have Homeworld attacks to worry about as well as corrupt Gem monsters and the possibility of Malachite emerging. We don`t have the time to deal with this, thing." Steven overheard Garnet say.

"And besides, she`s practically useless to us and seeing her performance today, she`s a tad..unstable. She just lounges about the house and has the potential to stir up trouble." Pearl added.

"Well, what are we going to do with her anyway?" Amethyst asked.

"Poof her?" Pearl suggested.

"I say we shatter her, put her out of her misery. Back into the ground where it belongs." Peridot said.

Steven gasped, and the Gems looked right where he was. Steven ducked out of sight.

"Is someone there?" Garnet formed her gauntlets.

Silence.

"Anyway, we get Steven to put her to sleep, lure her into a trap of hospitality, and boom, that`s when we get her." Amethyst schemed.

"We just have to get Steven to agree. I don`t know though, he`s pretty attached to it." Pearl added.

"Steven doesn`t have to know about the plan, we can just tell her to teach it how to sleep. Simple." Peridot said.

"Okay, we have it figured out. We strike tomorrow night." Garnet said with finality.

"Wait!" Steven came out of the shadows and ran down to meet the Gems. " Stop! She deserves to stay alive, she`s good, I swear!"

"Everything is good to you, but sometimes things aren`t." Pearl crouched to Steven`s level and said gently.

"She`s not even a real Gem!" Peridot shouted.

"You know nothing of real Gems. None of you do!" Rhodonite shouted from the top of the steps leading down into the arena. Everyone turned heads and looked to her in slight fear. Rhodonite jumped down and approached the Gems. "Fear, that`s all you see. What happened to you? You all fought so you wouldn`t be treated poorly, like less than a Gem. Thousand years, maybe more pass and you are just the same, I fought for this place and for myself same as you, I`m a Crystal Gem too, and yet you still wish to toss me aside, poof me, shatter me."

"But isn`t that what you wanted? To be shattered?" Amethyst asked.

"You know, sometimes I do, and then I realize, this isn`t misery, or pain, it`s a second chance, an opportunity. It`s a chance to live again, see how much Earth has evolved, and it`s evolved so much! It`s beautiful, I remember why Rose fought for it, I remember why I fought for it. Just watching the ocean roll on the shore, the rain fall, and I look at him." Rhodonite looked at Steven, tears forming in her eyes. "I look at Steven, and I see Rose, and I see the beauty of Earth and the beauty of Rose together, and when he smiles, I feel it, in my Gem." Rhodonite patted her Gem. "It`s like nostalgia I guess, I may not be a real Gem, but we all aren`t, and maybe, just maybe, I can make a new life for myself again. As myself. Shatter me if you wish, but just realize, you may have just lost another Crystal Gem." Rhodonite felt a cold tear run down her cheek, and a few drops of rain fell upon the Sky Arena.

"Rhodonite, we.." Pearl began.

"Save it, I understand. Shatter me, I`ll allow it." Rhodonite looked back at Steven with wistful eyes. "Thank you, Rose."

"We aren`t going to shatter you." Pearl finally said.

"You are giving me a second chance?" Rhodonite asked, beginning to smile.

"Yes." Garnet replied.

"That`s..." Rhodonite began before falling to the ground and holding her head, screaming in agony.

"What`s happening?" Steven asked.

Rhodonite began to glow white, and her form suddenly grew to be a white blob the size of Malachite. Finally, six legs came out of the white blob, a lean, reptilian like body formed, it had a long neck and tail, and what used to be Rhodonite`s mohawk spiked up and began a wild pink and black crest that contrasted with the pink and dark blue scales that formed on the giant lizard`s body. The corrupted Gem reared and screeched as it began attacking the Gems and destroying the arena with its monstrous tail and body moving about.

"It can`t be out of anger, why is she like this?" Steven asked, dodging the monster`s claws swiping at him and the Gems.

"It isn`t out of anger, her Gem must be glitching out or something, figures, all other fusion experiments are corrupt like that." Pearl speculated.

"I know what to do." Garnet said, straightening her glasses.

"What?" The Gems asked in unison.

"We poof the Gem, leave her in a bubble for a few days, should be back to normal." Garnet said.

Being reluctant and trustworthy of their leader, the Gems sprang to work on how to poof the monster, except for Peridot, one look at that monster`s cavernous jaws and she high-tailed back to the temple faster than you could say "Stop."

Steven kneeled and let Pearl leap on his shield, which boosted her onto the alligator snout of the Gem monster. The monster narrowed its fiery red eyes on the small, defiant figure of Pearl, and tried to shake her off, but Pearl held her ground and began to climb up to the top of the monster`s head, where she began stabbing the beast. The beast roared in agony and continued to try to shake off the nuisance.

Amethyst on the other hand, tried to demobilize it by slashing its legs with her whip, and it was affective, because after five attempts with the help of Garnet pounding her gauntlets on the legs of the animal, the corrupt Gem tripped and fell to the ground. Amethyst then whipped a large piece of a destroyed pillar and put it on the animal`s back, almost like a paperweight.

Garnet then began the climb up Rhodonite`s long neck, the prize? The glimmering Gem.

Steven, after helping Pearl, sat on the snout of Rhodonite, trying to snap her out of this madness, but it wasn`t working. Even the son of Rose Quartz who helped her get through everything couldn`t help her get through this. The monster still saw him as a bother and tried to snap its jaws on him, or anything it could gnash at.

Finally, reaching the Gem, Garnet pounded on the Gem, causing the monster to lurch convulsively and screech in agony. It stood up suddenly, knocking Pearl and Steven off of it. Garnet grasped her gauntlets on the Gem of the monster and yanked it out of the beast`s neck, causing it to let a final roar before poofing into a cloud of smoke.

Steven ran over to the Gem and bubbled it before Garnet could even pick it up. He then sent it to the temple and looked at Garnet, who gave him the usual poker face.

"You could`ve just let me bubble it." Garnet said.

"I know, but this one deserves special Rose Quartz bubble service." Steven smiled.

* * *

Where am I?" Rhodonite asked, her voice echoing across the blackness of where she was.

She strolled through the room, or at least she saw it as a room.. it had a ground below her feet, but yet, the ground didn`t feel like ground, it felt like thin air on her feet. Occasionally, the image of the room in her eyes would glitch out, like Steven`s laptop when it gets overloaded and burns out.

"Is this...my Gem?" Rhodonite knew she wouldn`t get an answer, but just assumed that this was where she was. She remembered following Steven into Rose`s room, and thought maybe, that this room could give her answers too. "I guess I gotta think about it." Rhodonite got into meditative stance and closed her eyes, and finally she whispered her big question.

"Who am I?" Rhodonite suddenly lost herself into her mind...

* * *

 **Now we`re getting to the meaty part!**

 **During the next large amount of chapters, Rhodonite will finally be exploring her past, the lives of the two shattered Gems that make up who she is. This is a story 1,000 years in the making and I can`t wait to share it with you!**


	5. The Raid

"Get ready, I have a feeling some Homeworld blokes will be landing here soon. Let`s make sure they`re nice and comfortable, and then we go and capture the lot." A white gem with black veining said to her partner, a blue gem with grayish veining.

They were crouched in the bushes just beyond a landing platform in the Kindergarten. The blue Gem not only had dark blue skin with gray veining, but also navy blue hair with gray streaks that was in an undercut. She sported a gray jumpsuit that had navy blue kneepads built in, along with gray archer elbow pads with a blue stars on them. Her gem was navy blue and it was located on her neck. The white Gem had a long black haired braid and wore full-on samurai armor that was porcelain white like her skin, but with black accents, her Gem was white with black crack-like designs in it, located on her palm.

These were Crystal Gems.

"What are you expecting to even come here, Howlite?" The blue Gem asked.

"I hear some rich Gem with her posse is coming to visit. I hear she`s not even a soldier or a part of the government, but yet she has three Pearls and a bunch of other Gems working for her." Howlite, the white Gem replied. "Of course, the Pearls on our side would hate this mystery person already, right Sodalite?"

"Yes, absolutely. Do you know this person`s name?" Sodalite, the blue Gem asked.

"What`s with all of the questions? It`s Rhodochrosite, hear she`s really pretty too. Something worth fusing with." Howlite smirked mischievously at Sodalite.

"Ah, shut up!" Sodalite punched Howlite playfully on the shoulder. "The only person you should be fusing with right now is me." Sodalite smiled.

"Yeah, when are we gonna do that?" Howlite asked.

"Soon, I hope. Now let`s get back on task." Sodalite went from a grin back to a serious face and summoned her battle axe as she began to inch deeper into the bushes for cover. Howlite followed with her throwing knifes.

* * *

"We`ll be landing soon, my liege." A Pearl said to the pink Gem lounging on chaise longue chair watching another Pearl dance for her. The Gem was wearing a hot pink cropped top and a white skater skirt. She also wore light pink ballet flats. The gem had magenta skin and long, poofy white hair, her Gem was on her stomach, and it was many different shades of pink in complicated swirls.

"How much longer?" The Gem asked.

"Only less than a half hour, get ready to exit, also, the pilot wishes to inform you that there is a risk of enemy siege when we land on Earth." The Pearl said.

"Ah, I doubt anything is going to happen, I have top-notch security, and besides, Yellow Diamond will quickly come and rescue me if I do get captured." The pink Gem replied nonchalantly, studying her nails. "Now go and bring me my mane arranger, mustn`t look messy for my meeting with some of the most prestigious generals working the Kindergarten." The pink Gem ordered.

"Yes, Rhodochrosite." The Pearl bowed and walked out of the room, the room that was pink with white lanterns and shag carpet.

The ship, a silver torpedo-like vessel with giant rocket jets, began to rock and shake as it entered the atmosphere and began its descent into the blue planet that every Gem was talking about. Rhodochrosite was grooming her hair as this was taking place, and eventually she settled on a lotus-like flower clip that pushed back her bangs, but otherwise, her hair was its usual long and mountainous self.

The ship landed, it was dark by then, and the lights of the landing pad were on, letting everything know that something was there in the dreary wasteland of the Kindergarten, except it wasn`t abandoned, it was bustling and full of technology and Gems.

The two Crystal Gems were still in the foliage, but closer than before, right next to the landing pad, and they felt the wind blow in their hair as the massive vessel landed.

"They`re here. Let`s get ready, final position." Sodalite whispered as they got in position to strike. Howlite pulled up a black bandana over the bottom of her face, looking like a bandit, she nodded and grunted in agreement. The two Gems tightened and loosened their grip on their weapons as they waited in suspense.

The ship door opened with a hiss and it flew on the ground, paving a ramp for six guard Gems, followed by two Pearls and finally, the main event, Rhodochrosite walked down with exceptional grace. Two more Pearls followed the pink Gem and three more guard Gems took up the rear. The pilot sauntered out after the large group.

"Wait for it..." Sodalite whispered, getting on her toes ready to sprint.

The ship door rose off the ground and closed back into the ship with another loud hiss. A few Gems came out of the little watch hut next to the landing pad to greet the visitors.

"Now, while they`re distracted." Sodalite quietly ordered.

Howlite threw one of her knives silently, as though the blade was a blade of grass blowing in the wind, and it hit the target of one of the guards with excellent precision, right in the side of the head. Everyone was too busy to notice that Howlite`s blades kept knocking Rhodochrosite`s protection down, even some of the Pearls were being caught in the crossfire. Rhodochrosite and the others didn`t notice until one of the Kindergarten workers was accidentally hit right in the Gem with one of Howlite`s knives. By then, it was too late, only one guard Gem, one Kindergarten worker, the pilot, a Pearl and Rhodochrosite remained.

Sodalite and Howlite ran over and held their weapons to the Gems` throats. Howlite could hold two at once, so she took the Kindergarten worker and the guard Gem, after chaining the two Gems together and chaining them to a tree for good measure, she went and got the pilot. Rhodochrosite and the Pearl were an easy prize for a skilled hunter like Sodalite, who kept Rhodochrosite under axe blade whilst she tied up the Pearl with the extra rope she had handy. She then wrestled Rhodochrosite to the ground. Sodalite wielded her axe, not worried whether people saw her as a hero or a villain, and she thought that Rhodochrosite would accept defeat easily, I mean, she was a "prissy Homeworld rich Gem", she probably didn`t even know how to summon her weapon!

Let`s just say she was wrong.

Sodalite went to downward swipe at Rhodochrosite with her axe, only to get parried by a pink mace and a defensive face. The two began to duel, Sodalite genuinely surprised that someone in a skirt was willing to do that many back flips.

"You know, I underestimated you there, you are actually quite impressive with your fighting skills." Sodalite said in between the clanks of their weapons.

"What, did you think I couldn`t?" Rhodochrosite asked, offended and flattered at the same time. .

"Hey, Sodalite! Quite quarreling with the enemy and take her!" Howlite said from the foliage.

Sodalite nodded at her whilst ducking a swipe from Rhodochrosite, she took her axe, turned it over to the blunt end, and jabbed Rhodochrosite right in the stomach with it while she was off guard. Rhodochrosite let out a startled, agonized grunt, and since Sodalite unknowingly hit Rhodochrosite near the Gem, Rhodochrosite poofed in a cloud of white dust.

Howlite heard the ruckus and peeked over to see Sodalite picking up the lifeless Gem on the ground. "Well, at least it`s easier to carry." She shrugged and beckoned Sodalite over to where the rest of the chained Gems were waiting next to two Gem speeders, they glowed a dim green and puffed a little smoke to show they were warming up. The holographic control pad was green and open, awaiting command.

"You take the guard and the worker, I`ll take the rest." Sodalite ordered.

Howlite nodded in agreement and loaded the two chained Gems onto the back of her speeder. She strapped them in so they wouldn`t fall off, Sodalite did the same with her two Gems, and she put the poofed Rhodochrosite in a compartment inside her speeder.

"Let`s ride!" Howlite whooped as the two Crystal Gems revved the engines of their speeders, then urged them forward, spewing blue fire from their jets, and they powered away from the Kindergarten, no one even realizing they were there.

* * *

 **First chapter in a story 1,000 years in the making!**

 **Reviews are encouraged, and I hope you enjoyed!**


	6. A Day of Firsts

Clank...clank...clank..

Aaaaaah!

The sounds of fists hitting metal and frustrated screams echoed in Rhodochrosite`s mind, her eyes blinked open. She didn`t even realize that she regenerated, looking pretty much the same. She was in a dark, grey, drab prison cell, she remembered a little on how she got there, Crystal Gems...of course. She recognized the screams, they came from the guard, she probably didn`t like being inferior or at someone else`s mercy. Rhodochrosite crawled to the bars and grabbed them, she noticed that her arms and legs were chained to the concrete floor, so she had to strain to look out. She saw the blue Gem, the one from last night, trying to calm down the Gem in a humane and kind way, shushing her and telling her that nothing was going to happen, or at least she lied to her, just to calm her down.

Rhodochrosite smiled lightly, the blue Gem wasn`t like the way the Gems back home said of people like her, she was told they were ruthless, criminals, and they were disgusting, fuse-happy hooligans, but this one looked nice, she had a beautiful, white smile and gentle hands. Her voice was calming and low, and it reminded her of Earth piano.

After the guard Gem was calmed, the blue Gem began to approach Rhodochrosite`s cell. Rhodochrosite panicked and slumped in the corner, her left shoulder pressing the bars and her back to the left concrete wall of the cell. The blue Gem stopped at her cell and chuckled lightly at Rhodochrosite`s fake angry expression.

"And how are you doing, Grumpy Gus?" The blue Gem giggled.

 _Grumpy Gus? What on Earth was that supposed to mean?_ Rhodochrosite thought.

"It`s Rhodochrosite." She replied.

The blue Gem laughed. "It`s an expression! I`m Sodalite, by the way. Crystal Gem, you probably hate me, but that`s okay, I`m obligated by my peers and superiors to hate you back."

"Well, that`s comforting." Rhodochrosite said sarcastically.

"What do you expect? It`s a war!" Sodalite shrugged, her once smooth as honey voice turned into an abrasive, rude one.

"Can you at least tell me what you guys are going to do with us?" Rhodochrosite asked.

"I`m not known to spoil surprises, but we ain`t gonna torture you, this isn`t Homeworld, but we want you to pick a side, you can probably connect the dots from there, you`re a smart Gem." Sodalite leaned in and whispered through the bars, then pulled away and began to walk off.

"Are you going to come back?" Rhodochrosite asked.

Sodalite looked back. "Maybe." She smirked and walked out of sight.

* * *

"How did it go with the prisoners? Did they whine, or try to attack?" Howlite asked as Sodalite plopped down next to her on the couch in Howlite`s room.

"The pilot was fine, obedient. I sent the Pearl for questioning, and they had someone come in and shatter the Kindergarten worker for her crimes against humanity or whatever." Sodalite began.

"Okay, even I admit that`s a little harsh." Howlite said. "What about Pinky?"

"Rhodochrosite regenerated, and she`s the kind to ask questions, but I didn`t tell her much. The guard Gem has a serious case of PTSD, wailing like a corrupted Gem, she might just be corrupted now." Sodalite finished.

"Man, because of us? I feel that this raid was a bit harsher than usual." Howlite looked at the floor.

"Look, let`s just use this raid to show Homeworld that we ain`t messing around, and next time we`ll treat `em like we always do, okay?" Sodalite patted Howlite on the back.

"Thanks, Soda." Howlite smiled.

Sodalite looked around. "Hey...we`re alone. No one`s around, maybe we could...fuse?" Sodalite grinned lightly, her eyes darting, and she began to blush sheepishly.

"Of course! Come here!" Howlite smiled and stood up, Sodalite followed.

Howlite twirled, her long braid circling around her like a black halo, she twirled right into Sodalite`s embrace, Sodalite dipped Howlite, who was like a loose puppet, and pulled her close, their lips almost touching. Both of their Gems glowed and they formed the white blob, forming the fusion.

Out came a Gem as tall as the fusion between an Amethyst and a Pearl (If such a thing happened often), she had short white hair that was dreadlocked in light blue beads to match her skin and Gems. She had a muscular, defined body, that was lean and agile, and she wore a white karategi with a dark blue belt. The fusion opened its two ice blue eyes and stretched its four, long arms. It then smiled.

"We did it! I mean...I..did it?" The fusion shouted in triumph. It began to jump about giddily before falling backwards onto the couch with a loud thump, almost breaking it. It giggled and laughed with glee.

"Okay, okay." The fusion regained herself, her voice slightly shaky from laughter. "We...I..am Benitoite! Right?" She thought for a minute before nodding. "Yep!"

Benitoite stepped outside the room, a bunch of Gems were sitting around the temple, chatting, but the fusion definitely popped eyes. Soon, everyone was staring at the giant woman that had come out of a temple room, lord knows which one. A green Gem came out of nowhere in front of the fusion,

"Nice fusion! Whoever you are...Want to maybe try sparring with me?" The Gem asked, she looked desperate, but Benitoite was bored, so she decided to do it.

Benitoite summoned a gigantic halbird and slinged it on her shoulder, waiting for her opponent to summon hers, which happened to be a stiletto (A small dagger) that glinted a bit in the light. The Gem looked at the fusion with a little fear now, knowing that she was going to get poofed, she was sure of it.

"Still want me to spar with ya?" Benitoite asked.

Everyone was still watching, so the Gem just decided to lose in glory than live in shame. Benitoite picked up her halbird and instantly slammed down on the Gem, the weight and sharpness of the thing poofing the other Gem instantly. Benitoite, who had gained an ounce more of confidence, yelled to all who were in the room,

"Anyone else wanna try?!"

Everyone murmured among themselves and stepped away, fearful.

"Well then, I best be off." Benitoite smirked and stomped out of the main room and back into Howlite`s room, everyone still in awe of her.

The fusion disappeared in a big, white cloud, and only Sodalite and Howlite remained. They were pulled in together, still in the dip position, laughing and smiling.

"That was awesome!" Sodalite shouted.

" _We_ were awesome!" Howlite added and pulled Sodalite in for a hug.

Sodalite and Howlite were slightly hesistant and awkward when they were holding each other that close, their arms around each other`s waist, and their faces too close for comfort. Finally, after a sheepish little giggle, Sodalite and Howlite kissed each other, still holding tightly.


	7. Second Visit

"See you later, Howlite!" Sodalite said. "I gotta check up on the prisoners again."

"See ya!" Howlite called back.

"Well then, I best be off." Sodalite smirked before walking out the door. Howlite snickered at her reference to Benitoite and last night.

* * *

Rhodochrosite heard faint footsteps in the hallway. She didn`t care to look and see who it was, but whoever it was, had better calm down the screeching guard Gem a few cells away from her. She was still wailing, but it was louder, and she could hear the pounding footsteps in on the concrete floor, like she was pacing, and her claws scraping against the walls.

The approaching person stopped at the guard Gem`s cell, Rhodochrosite could tell, because the wailing turned to low, deep growling, and the footsteps stopped.

"It`s okay, it`s just me. Do you recognize me?" Sodalite`s piano tones pierced the growling, like how the sunlight cuts through the night when the sun rises.

"Of course I do, you`re the reason I`m stuck here!" The guard Gem roared with a loud thud, Rhodochrosite guessed that she punched the wall or something.

"You don`t look so good, you wanna talk about it?" Sodalite offered.

"Like I`d talk to the likes of you." The Gem muttered.

"I`m here to help you, take care of you, so let me." Sodalite whispered in an even gentler tone.

"WHY LET YOU INTO MY WORLD WHEN YOU ARE JUST GOING TO SHATTER IT ANYWAY?!" The Gem wailed and more pounding echoed through the halls.

"I`m not gonna hurt you, trust me." Sodalite said. The Gem let out a low growl. "Trust me." Sodalite whispered.

The growling stopped. "Fine." The Gem croaked. "I was abused by my superiors for years, not Rhodochrosite, but people above her, who controlled the sentry business at its highest levels. I gave them my everything, my life, my service, my freedom, and now Homeworld isn`t coming back for us. I know they aren`t, I talked to Agate, the pilot. And now I`m going to be killed, and for what, being on a side I had no say in choosing!"

"We aren`t going to shatter you right away, you can join our side if you want." Sodalite reassured her.

"Too late now," The guard croaked. "War really rocks your world, sitting in here, I have time to think, and now, here I am, corrupt, lost, scared. Like a puppy that`s too far from home."

"We`ll try to fix you, I know someone who can help." Sodalite replied.

"And who is that?"

"The leader of the Crystal Gems, Rose Quartz."

"Oh no, you aren`t getting me anywhere near her."

"Ah, just trust me."

"Right, okay."

"I gotta go, I`ll see you tomorrow."

Rhodochrosite heard Sodalite`s footsteps get louder until she finally stepped in front of her cell. She had a wry smile on her face, and there was laughter in her eyes. She looked the same, same outfit and everything, but this time, the softness of her actual self remained, not the abrasive side Rhodochrosite saw the other day.

"What`s up, Pinky?" Sodalite asked.

Rhodochrosite shrugged.

"You might get to stop hearing that Gem screaming all the time. On the night of...the thing...someone`s gonna come in and get her, and take her to Rose Quartz." Sodalite said, looking back at the cell in which the guard Gem resided.

"The thing?" Rhodochrosite asked.

"Fine, soon, we are going to decide what we`re doing with you guys. You either join us or you don`t, that simple." Sodalite explained.

"I don`t even know what it means to be a Crystal Gem! How am I supposed to make a decision?" Rhodochrosite asked, raising her voice.

"Quiet down! Look, I hear ya, that`s why I`m gonna meet you here, tonight, don`t fall asleep on me." Sodalite crouched down to Rhodochrosite`s level, she was sitting up against the cell door.

"Asleep?" Rhodochrosite looked at Sodalite quizzically.

"It`s a human thing, when your body goes into complete rest mode, but we can do it too." Sodalite replied.

"But still, what`s happening tonight?" Rhodochrosite whispered.

"You`ll see." Sodalite whispered, then winked at Rhodochrosite. "Gotta fly, see you tonight." Sodalite walked away from Rhodochrosite`s cell, leaving her dumbfounded.

* * *

"I`m going out, I`ll be back around midnight." Sodalite said, getting out of the bed.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?" Howlite said groggily, sitting up.

"I`m just going to the the top of the hill, don`t worry about me. Go back to sleep." Sodalite reassured Howlite.

"Alright, I trust ya." Howlite laid back down.

Sodalite went out the door and briskly walked to the prison hall, nothing but the click of her heels and the soft growling of the guard Gem echoed through the hallway. Rhodochrosite was awake, but bored, she had resorted to writing poems in the dust on the ground, and she was so preoccupied with that that she couldn`t hear Sodalite approaching.

"You ready, Pinky?" Sodalite stopped at the door and flipped her hair.

Rhodochrosite looked up, startled. "Huh? Yeah...I guess. Depends on what we`re doing."

"Oh, believe me, you`re ready." Sodalite smiled and pulled the metal keys from her utility belt. She held them by two fingers and jingled them tauntingly, she then singled out a key and opened Rhodochrosite`s cell.

"You`re freeing me?" Rhodochrosite asked.

"Don`t get too excited, you`ll be coming right back here once I`m finished with ya." Sodalite said.

Sodalite walked in and unlocked Rhodochrosite`s chains as well, allowing Rhodochrosite to finally stand up after a few days of sitting and crawling. Rhodochrosite was at least a foot shorter than Sodalite, and Sodalite could finally get a closer look at Rhodochrosite. She had transparent pink eyes with long black lashes, and her teeth were as white as freshly fallen snow. Rhodochrosite`s hair looked like it was made of white cotton candy.

"Let`s go." Sodalite walked out of the cell, Rhodochrosite followed.

The two Gems walked out of the prison hall undetected, Sodalite holding Rhodochrosite by the wrist and pulling at her to move forward.

"We gotta move quickly or someone`ll see us." Sodalite muttered.

"Where are you taking me?" Rhodochrosite asked.

Sodalite turned abruptly around to face Rhodochrosite. "You`re gonna see Earth."

"Oh.." Rhodochrosite said quietly. The two Gems kept walking until they were out of the base and the cold sand touched their feet. It was strange, the air that they were breathing, and these cold little grains that got stuck in between Rhodochrosite`s toes. Sodalite didn`t seem to mind, which Rhodochrosite found even weirder.

"What is this stuff? It feels weird on my gravity connectors..." Rhodochrosite had a wry, disgusted look on her face.

"It`s sand, idiot! It kind of massages me, but don`t get it in your eyes or your clothes, that sucks." Sodalite smiled.

"Eyes?" Rhodochrosite looked at Sodalite quizzically.

"Vision spheres, but we call `em eyes." Sodalite replied.

"Oh, what`s that over there?" Rhodochrosite asked and ran over to the shoreline.

"That`s the ocean." Sodalite said, walking up beside Rhodochrosite.

The water rolled up onto Rhodochrosite`s feet, she flinched at the cold and backed away fearfully.

"It`s just water, it won`t hurt ya. Watch!" Sodalite ran into the water and fell backwards into it, giggling.

Rhodochrosite watched Sodalite and shuffled her toes in the sand nervously, she finally dipped her foot in the water, then her other foot, and then she slowly waded into the water. Sodalite popped her head out of the water and flipped her wet hair out of her face.

"Atta girl! How`s the water?" Sodalite chuckled.

"It`s cold...but in a refreshing way." Rhodochrosite had a fearful expression engraved on her face.

"Oh, lighten up. Nothing`s gonna happen here! You`re free here on Earth, isn`t it great? No one`s watching, have some fun, princess!" Sodalite flicked some water in Rhodochrosite`s face.

"Oh, Sodalite! Don`t think I won`t splash you back!" Rhodochrosite smiled for the first time in ages and splashed Sodalite back.

"There ya go!" Sodalite smiled, taking the splash. "But I bet you weren`t expecting this!" Sodalite tackled Rhodochrosite and they went underwater with a loud SPLOSH.

The two Gems laughed and giggled underwater, with little bubbles trailing from their mouths to prove it. It was surreal, Sodalite`s hair was in blue wisps, like cirrus clouds, and they floated as though they were weightless. Rhodochrosite`s hair was a large, white mass, and it lost its curl in the water. The two Gems finally rose to the surface and they burst through the water, laughing and shaking their hair.

"Okay, okay, you win." Rhodochrosite choked between laughs.

"Have I?" Sodalite grinned before it started to downpour.

Rhodochrosite looked up then back at Sodalite. "Did you do that?" She asked.

"Yep, I never knew I had this power before I came to Earth." Sodalite said.

"What...is this?" Rhodochrosite asked.

"It`s rain, just a little something we have here." Sodalite said, the downpour stopped.

"Let`s get out of here." Rhodochrosite began to wade out of the water, Sodalite tagged along.

"Hey, I`m supposed to be the one leading you." Sodalite speed-walked in front of Rhodochrosite when they reached the beach.

"Okay then, lead the way." Rhodochrosite smirked.

"Ooh, this is the best part!" Sodalite began to run up the hill, Rhodochrosite followed, but she followed slowly so she could look at the sculpture carved into the side of it, it looked like a fusion of some sort. Sodalite was already at the top, and she sat with her legs dangling over the cliff edge. Rhodochrosite finally made it and sat beside Sodalite. The moon had risen then, and it made the ocean glimmer its usual silver ribbon. The stars were out, Sodalite cleared away the clouds, and the stars twinkled in the darkness as well.

"Beautiful, isn`t it?" Sodalite said.

Yeah..beautiful.." Rhodochrosite sighed. "Why did you show me this?"

"Maybe I just wanted to be nice." Sodalite replied.

"I don`t think that`s it." Rhodochrosite said.

"What, you don`t think I`m nice? Brutal." Sodalite smiled at the ground.

"I think you`re nice, but I don`t think that`s _just_ it." Rhodochrosite clarified.

"A day from now, you have to pick a side, Homeworld or Earth, and that`ll decide what we`re going to do with you, but I didn`t want fear to influence you. I wanted you to get a chance to see what I saw in the place." Sodalite looked off into the distance.

"Oh...well that`s very...kind? Of you?" Rhodochrosite wasn`t sure how to respond.

"What do they say? Of Crystal Gems back on Homeworld?" Sodalite asked.

"That you guys are ruthless, fuse-happy hooligans." Rhodochrosite said quietly.

"Oh, you didn`t hold back anything did ya? I was hoping you`d stretch the truth a little bit!" Sodalite chuckled.

Rhodochrosite laughed. "Well, now I know it`s not true."

"Thanks." Sodalite smiled. "Man, I`m tired." Sodalite fell back and laid on the grass; Rhodochrosite followed.

"I just have one question..." Rhodochrosite said.

"Yep..questions..what is it?" Sodalite asked.

"How do you know which side to fight for?" Rhodochrosite asked.

Sodalite sat up and put her hand over her mouth, she then pulled her hand down from her mouth. "That`s a tough question...I guess it just depends on what you believe."

"But, I don`t know what to believe." Rhodochrosite sat up next to Sodalite.

"If you think destroying the Earth and all of its innocent creatures is wrong, then you are a Crystal Gem, like me. If you support the Kindergarten and progress of Homeworld Gem technology, then you are with them." Sodalite explained. "It`s that simple, well, for you it is. It was harder for people like me, and Howlite, Garnet and Pearl. We have specific things to fight for." Sodalite explained.

"Why are you here?" Rhodochrosite asked.

"I guess I have to tell you, I was a slave for Yellow Diamond, and I wanted to be more. I saw what some of the..higher Gems were doing, flying ships, exploring the galaxy, experimenting in the labs, and fusion. I wanted to do that, but they wouldn`t let me, so I ran away, flew to Earth on my own." Sodalite sighed.

"Oh...You know what I just realized?"

"What?"

"Homeworld`s not coming back for me...are they?"

"Ask Howlite, she crashed here years ago, she had to use her wits to make it here alive, and she had just got an augmentation in her eyes too, gave her excellent precision and amazing eyesight now, but she had to live 3 years blind."

"And she`s still here."

"Yep."

Sodalite stood up and helped Rhodochrosite up as well. "We gotta go."

"What, why?" Rhodochrosite asked, following Sodalite down the hill.

"I gotta get _some_ sleep, and besides, the night watch will be checking your cell soon. Remember what we talked about and make a decision, a`ight?" Sodalite said.

"Yes, yes, okay." Rhodochrosite nodded.

They reached the prison hall, the guard Gem had finally figured out sleep, and it was curled up in the corner, purring softly. Sodalite opened the cell door, chained up Rhodochrosite and locked the door back up again. Rhodochrosite was about to go back to her poems when Sodalite`s voice pierced the quiet.

"Good night, Pinky." Sodalite quickly gave a salute and walked away.

* * *

 **Hi everyone!**

 **I have to ask, how is everyone liking Adventure Time`s miniseries "Stakes" if you watch it?**

 **I personally love it, and it reminded me with what I`m doing with Rhodonite, exploring her past in-depth.**

 **In case anyone was wondering why I`m doing this. :) To help ya`ll get to know my homegirl Rhodonite better.**


	8. Hug it Out!

"So, what exactly were you doing last night?" Howlite asked.

"I showed one of the prisoners Earth." Sodalite replied.

"You what? You let one go?" Howlite tensed up in her seat.

"No, I didn`t let her go. I took her out of that crummy cell and let her play around at the beach, then we talked about stuff, it was harmless." Sodalite said.

"That sounds really suspicious." Howlite narrowed her eyes and stood up.

"Don`t worry about it." Sodalite approached Howlite and took her by the hand.

"What did you two talk about?" Howlite asked.

"Picking sides, what it means to be a Crystal Gem." Sodalite shrugged.

"Did you tell her your story?" Howlite squeezed Sodalite`s hand tighter.

"Yep, and yours." Sodalite smiled.

Howlite let go of Sodalite`s hand. "Soda! You know I don`t want people knowing that!"

"Why? I know you aren`t perfect, so why hide it for everyone else?" Sodalite shrugged.

"It`s complicated." Howlite looked away, blushing.

Sodalite turned Howlite`s face towards her. "If it weren`t for those few years of weakness, you wouldn`t be here with me." Sodalite let out a meek smile. "And you wouldn`t have those awesome eyes that won us our last raid."

"I normally would push away your sympathy, but I know you`re just gonna.." Howlite said quietly before getting interrupted.

"Let`s hug it out!" Sodalite quickly pulled in Howlite for a hug.

Howlite blushed and let out a few nervous giggles. "Okay..that`s enough..."

"Nope...nope, nope, nope, we gotta squeeze all that insecurity out, come on." Sodalite pulled tighter.

"Oh Soda..." Howlite smiled, then pecked Sodalite on the forehead.

The two Gems pulled away from each other and went to sit on the couch.

"I was so useless back then...no wonder Homeworld didn`t come back for me, they must`ve thought the experiment failed and decided to throw me here." Howlite put her head in her hands.

"Don`t say that! I thought I hugged all of that stuff out of ya!" Sodalite put her arm around Howlite.

"You can`t get rid of the past, Soda." Howlite said.

"You can forgive yourself though, right?" Sodalite asked.

"It wasn`t my fault, it was Homeworld`s, for making a scared, useless animal out of me, scampering around Earth until Rose stumbled upon me." Howlite said.

"Aren`t you glad Rose did though? She helped you, I helped you, now you`re okay! Just...promise me you won`t beat yourself up about this anymore and just, be proud that you were a survivor." Sodalite gave a light smile.

Howlite lifted her head off her hands and looked at Sodalite, she then hugged her. "Alright, the augmentation makes it painful to cry anyway."

"Just breathe, close your eyes, and it will go away." Sodalite advised, and Howlite followed her instructions.

Howlite stood up and shook her head, almost as a way to get back on task. "I gotta head over to the Kindergarten, I`m going to be spying with a few other Gems, including the one we poofed the other night."

"Oh, no hard feelings? She`s the one who asked to spar with us." Sodalite gritted her teeth.

"She doesn`t have to know it was us. Anyway, I won`t be back until tonight, meaning you have to make dinner and get the bed ready." Howlite said.

"Aw! We don`t even need to eat or sleep!" Sodalite shouted.

"It`s fun, and you gotta pull your weight as my roommate." Howlite said, pulling her black bandanna over her mouth.

"Oh, and one more thing!" Sodalite grabbed Howlite`s arm to keep her from leaving.

"What is it?" Howlite asked.

"You know how I`m supposed to lead Pinky and her posse to the slaughter tomorrow?"

"It`s not exactly slaughter if she picks our side, but yeah?"

"I can`t do it, I`m not...that`s not me, Howlite, I can`t just lead people to be killed with a straight face. I`m going to talk to Rose today, and I`m going to have someone else do it for me."

"Do you have an idea on who you think can do it?"

"You. Howlite, I think you can, I`ve seen you in battle, you don`t let personal things get in the way like I do. Do you think you can do it?"

"Fine, but I`ll probably really grumpy in the morning because I`ll be tired."

"You`re the best!" Sodalite hugged Howlite, she then let go and followed her out the door to talk to Rhodochrosite.

* * *

 **Hi! I know this isn`t the typical chapter, just a dialogue bit between Sodalite and Howlite, I hope you enjoy!**

 **I`m not getting a lot of reviews anymore...making me sad.. :(**

 **Feel free to review! There is always room for improvement on my part, and your compliments are also very much appreciated!**


	9. Kindergarten Prowl

Howlite`s speeder spewed blue flame as she powered through the hills, soon coming upon the glowing wasteland of the Kindergarten. Behind her, three other Gems were on speeders, awaiting command. The wind blew in their hair and they wore serious faces, their speeders were wired so that they wouldn`t make noise, for this was a spying mission. The Kindergarten was located in the shadow of many cliffs, inside the cliffs were holes where Gems emerged, and little unnoticed holes were the perfect hiding spot.

"I have found a hidden opening, just follow me." Howlite whispered into her holographic screen to communicate with her fellow Crystal Gems. She knew of a crack in the cliff wall where they could hide.

"You heard her, let`s move out." A voice replied, and it was a familiar voice to many, of the stablest fusion in the Crystal Gems...Garnet.

"Aye aye." Another Gem responded, Howlite recognized it as the Gem she sparred with as Benitoite.

They came to their rendezvous spot and parked their speeders. The group of Gems walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down the precipice to see their entrance into the Kindergarten, an unexplored crack in the scarp walls, unpenetrated by injectors or emerging Gems. Howlite leaped off the cliff edge and clung to the wall of the sheer surface with the help of her knives, she dangled for a few moments before quickly climbing up the wall and into the crevice. She held out the thumbs up signal and her friends made their way into the crevice without being spotted.

"Howlite to Flourite, we have reached the rendezvous, repeat, we have reached the rendezvous." Howlite whispered into a communication device on her arm. Flourite was a communications officer and technician back at base.

"I guess we just sit and watch." The Gem who sparred with Benitoite said.

"No kidding, that`s what spying is, Diopside." Another Gem, the fourth Gem of their quartet whispered.

"Oh, don`t even think about going at each other, especially you, Spinel." Garnet said in a scolding fashion.

"Ssh, they`re training some Quartz right now, we could get a taste of their battle tactics." Howlite called her group to order.

Down in the Kindergarten, 4 dark grey, broad-shouldered, Quartz awaiting command from a blue commander Gem. They were lined in a perfect line, side by side with perfect posture. The officer stood with poise in front of them, and soon another Gem joined her, a green one.

"Today we will be learning a new tactic, one that has been around for centuries, this tactic is all about teamwork, and it doesn`t work if you are not in perfect sync with each other." The blue Gem said with amazing enunciation.

"I think I know what they`re doing..." Spinel whispered.

"Quiet." Garnet scolded.

"It works like this, everyone pick a partner you trust." The blue Gem ordered. Each gem turned to their partner of choice.

The blue and green Gems did a quick waltz and they fused into a stable fusion that looked very similar to Garnet, except the fusion had four eyes instead of three. It had a color palette of lime green and purple, and the fusion quickly summoned a morning star.

"See? If you work together, you are stronger. This is called fusion, and when faced with a strong enemy, you may use this tactic. Now, in order to be an even stronger fusion, you have to add more Gems. Everyone fuse with your partners, hustle!" The fusion ordered.

The Quartz quickly fused with their partners to create bigger, stronger versions of the Quartz they were. The fusion who was commanding them smiled at the result, Quartz that were bigger than even stable fusions.

"Now, fusions, fuse with the fusion next to you." The commander fusion said.

The giant quartz did a quick dance with each other, forming an even bigger quartz that was about the height of one of the injectors, with muscles that could destroy whole spaceships. Most of the group in the crevice gasped quietly, including Howlite.

Spinel lightly chuckled. "I bet you are hating this right now, Miss 'Made of Love'." She turned to Garnet.

Garnet`s eyes narrowed under her visor and everyone could feel the annoyance of Garnet, it seemed to radiate off of her, which it probably was, knowing Ruby.

Everyone focused back again on the giant Quartz, who had now summoned her weapon, a large flail. Howlite had never seen such power before, sure, she knew fusions were powerful, but she never knew they had this kind of potential. The Quartz, on the commanding fusion`s orders, spun her flail and flung it against the cliff wall, too close for comfort near the crevice in which Howlite`s group resided.

"I know a few of us are going to be back tomorrow, but I think we`ve seen enough for tonight, knowing we were almost smashed by some crazy fusion." Diopside said. "No offense, Garnet."

"It`s fine." Garnet replied.

Howlite pulled out her communications device. "Flourite, this is Howlite reporting back, we have almost been spotted and/or harmed during the mission, we request your permission to head back to base, as a precaution. We have retained some information on Homeworld`s..newest battle tactic."

"I got you Howlite, come on back." Flourite responded.

Getting out of the Kindergarten was a harder task than getting in. It took careful planning, exceptional stealth skills, and just a little bit of luck, especially when a giant Quartz with eight eyes was nearby. Howlite pulled out two throwing knives and twirling them in her hand as she scaled the cliff wall. Her team had gear that could help them climb without knives. She figured they could scurry up to wall within a minute, no one would notice them, and the darkness was their ally.

"Okay, everyone, on my signal, we move one by one, climbing up the cliff wall back to our speeders. Don`t look down, and don`t dawdle, our lives and cover are at stake. I`ll go first, and the rest of you use your climbing gear, you know what I mean, gravity suits, suction gloves and shoes, and if all else fails, I have a rope on me." Howlite whispered.

"That sounds like a pretty solid plan." Diopside added.

"What if they catch us?" Spinel asked.

"Just do what we do best...survive. If you happen to get captured, then play dumb, act like a scout who has no idea about the inner workings of this thing, and don`t talk about Operation: Orosu, at all costs!" Howlite said.

Everyone grunted and nodded in agreement.

"Let`s do this." Garnet said, slamming her fist into her palm.

Howlite peeked out and scanned the area, the fusions down in the Kindergarten were still preoccupied, so Howlite dug her knive into the cliff wall and quickly ascended back to the top of the cliff. Garnet peeked out of the crevice and Howlite signaled that it was safe. Garnet used a suction mechanism on her gauntlets to climb up the wall to Howlite. Spinel and Diopside followed, all without grabbing any unwanted attention.

"That could`ve gone a lot worse." Diopside said, smiling with satisfaction.

"How is this good? Now Homeworld is using fusion to their advantage, advantages we have never used. We have to tell Rose and hopefully this tactic will be used by our troops. I`m pretty sure Smoky Quartz Alpha isn`t the only one of these fusions they`re gonna train." Howlite said, her voice hard with seriousness.

"Calm down, Tech Eyes, we`re out and we`re heading back home." Spinel patted Howlite`s shoulder, talking in a nonchalant mocking tone.

"Yeah, tell me that when you`re shattered by an Alpha Quartz in battle." Howlite growled.

"Let`s just get back, they could probably here you quarreling all the way back at base, let alone right here in the Kindergarten." Garnet said, walking to her speeder, the other Gems followed.

Howlite got on her speeder, deep in thought. As she lead her group home, she couldn`t help thinking that the peaceful, playful atmosphere of the base made her forget what she was in, a war. Fusion was always a fun, romantic thing to her, only restricted to people she trusted, and by people she trusted, she meant Sodalite. Now she was faced with the cold truth that fusion wasn`t _just_ a thing of love anymore, it was a thing of death, destruction, war.

The group finally reached the base, their speeders slowing to a halt as they parked, the blue fire died down as the speeders powered off. Howlite and her group hopped off.

"I see ya, welcome back to base." Flourite said through Howlite`s communication device.

Howlite and Garnet looked at each other. "I think we should tell Rose together." Howlite advised.

"Agreed, let`s go." Garnet nodded as the two Gems walked to Rose`s room. The other Gems, Spinel and Diopside, went their separate ways.

* * *

Howlite was worn out from the spying mission, and the fact that she and Sodalite were going to have to get up early tomorrow made her grumpy. The door to her and Sodalite`s room flung open and the weary Howlite began to take out her braid. Sodalite always loved Howlite`s hair at night, it was long enough to drag on the floor (A reason why she chose to braid it every day) and it was in smooth, beautiful crimps, Sodalite liked to run her fingers through it while humming.

Howlite plopped down on the bed next to Sodalite, who had woken up just to see her.

"Tired, huh? How was it?" Sodalite asked.

"No one got hurt." Howlite said quietly.

"Did you see anything interesting at the Kindergarten?" Sodalite`s voice went down to Howlite`s volume.

"Operation Orosu is going to be way harder than I thought." Howlite whispered.

"Why?" Sodalite asked.

Howlite was silent, she just looked down and away from Sodalite`s eyes.

Sodalite grabbed Howlite`s face by the chin and forced her gaze towards hers. "What happened at the Kindergarten? You can tell me." Sodalite`s voice was her usual, gentle piano tones.

Howlite closed her eyes. "They used fusion, they fused four Quartz together to make an Alpha Quartz, with the power to destroy spaceships. It`ll be like nothing we`ve ever seen."

"We can master fusion, Garnet can do it, Rose can do it, we can do it, and I`ve seen many others. This could be a good thing, at least we get to fuse more often." Sodalite grinned.

"It`s not how I want it though, we`re supposed to fuse because we love each other, because we trust each other, we aren`t supposed to fuse out of cold blood." Howlite said quietly, her eyes still closed.

"Ah, you`ve been hanging out with Garnet too much." Sodalite said, running her fingers up Howlite`s arm.

"Sodalite, now is not the time for jokes, this is serious. I know deep down you feel the same." Howlite opened her eyes and looked at Sodalite with a hint of a scolding attitude.

"You`re right, I`m just trying to make you smile, I love it when you smile." Sodalite grinned and grabbed Howlite`s hand.

Howlite blushed and a smile began to appear on her face.

"That`s it!" Sodalite smiled wide and hugged Howlite. "Look, Rose will get this under control and everything will be fine. Tomorrow we`re going to have another set of prisoners off of my hands, and I`ll be back doing raids and spy trips by day and being with you by night like we always have." She whispered into Howlite`s ear.

"You`re right...and we should probably get to sleep." Howlite said.

"Yep, I`m always right, aren`t I?" Sodalite laid back on the pillow.

"Ah shut up!" Howlite said, laying back on her pillow, she punched Sodalite playfully on the arm.

The two laid in the bed facing each other, looking at each other.

"Don`t worry about the Kindergarten any more tonight, okay?" Sodalite whispered.

"Of course." Howlite replied.

"Good night, Howlite." Sodalite yawned and closed her eyes, she drifted off into sleep.

Howlite rolled on her back to stare at the ceiling, she kept looking at her partner with worry as she was haunted by what she saw on her spying trip, the thunderclap of the flail hitting the cliff wall, shaking what seemed like the entire Earth. The way the fusion cackled with its sharp fangs and the crazed look in its eight eyes, like a deranged spider. Howlite had always struggled sleeping because of her augmentation, and the more she thought about the Kindergarten, the more she heard Sodalite`s reassuring voice in her head. She eventually drifted off to sleep with those rivaling thoughts...

* * *

 **In the beginning: *cue Mission Impossible music***

 **Hey guys! Sorry about all the mushy romance stuff with Howlite and Sodalite, don`t worry, the snuggly duckling train will be slowing down soon if not stopping.**

 **Only a few chapters left until Rhodonite reforms! I have to ask, what do you guys theorize about how this little miniseries ends?**


	10. The Truth Comes Out

"I`ll be in the audience, just not...leading her out." Sodalite said as she re-did Howlite`s braid.

"Yes, I know. Is there a specific way you want me to act?" Howlite asked.

"Just act like you would any other Homeworld Gem." Sodalite said.

"You mean...hateful, ruthless?" Howlite asked.

"Just act like yourself, and don`t worry about that corrupted Gem, Rose has her, you just have to get Pinky, the Pearl and the Pilot." Sodalite tied the end of the braid and let go of Howlite`s hair. Howlite turned to face Sodalite.

"Wish me luck." Howlite whispered.

"What do you need luck for?" Sodalite smiled. The two Gems looked into each other`s eyes. Howlite`s irises were gunmetal blue, but the augmentation caused her scleras to be replaced with metal, and the scleras could constrict and dilate with the pupil so Howlite could zoom in on objects better than a regular Gem, and if you looked deep enough into the blackness of Howlite`s pupil, then you could see the mechanics done in her eye. They were jarring, Howlite`s eyes, but Sodalite found them beautiful. Sodalite`s eyes, on the other hand, were natural, and they were a deep, dark blue, like the ocean.

The two exited out of their room and parted ways, Howlite going to the prison this time instead of Sodalite.

* * *

Rhodochrosite heard brisk footsteps down the hall again, there was the clicking of heels on the concrete that sounded so familiar to her. It was Sodalite, and she knew it, come to let her out and lead her to the biggest decision of her life. She crawled to her usual spot and craned her neck to see if Sodalite had dressed out for the occasion.

What came to the cell door wasn`t Sodalite. It was a tall (Taller than Sodalite) white Gem in black and white samurai armor, she was wearing a black bandana over her mouth and she had a long, black braid that almost touched the floor. She was rubbing the blades of two throwing knives together and her eyes were a jarring, steel gray, they looked robotic.

"What, I wasn`t who you were expecting?" The white Gem asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Where`s Sodalite?" Rhodochrosite asked.

"Oh, she`s fine. I`m just a friend of hers. I`ll be leading you out today." The Gem said.

"I know what we`re doing." Rhodochrosite mumbled.

"Oh? I see...Soda wasn`t the kind to keep secrets." The Gem smirked.

"Just let me out." Rhodochrosite grumbled.

"Ooh, fiesty. You know, Sodalite never told me much about you, Rhodochrosite." The Gem opened the cell door and unchained Rhodochrosite, only to chain her again. "You`ll be chained and dragged along with your friends in a few minutes, I just gotta let `em out." The white Gem said, dragging Rhodochrosite down the hallway.

After grabbing the Pearl and pilot, chaining them to Rhodochrosite, and beginning their trek out of the prison hall, Rhodochrosite finally asked. "Who are you?"

"I thought Soda told you about me?" The white Gem said, looking at Rhodochrosite. Rhodochrosite looked closer into Howlite`s appearance, she saw the metal and inner workings of her eyes and she had an epiphany.

"You`re Howlite, aren`t you?" Rhodochrosite said.

"Got it." Howlite turned away, looking forward.

"You`re the one with the augmentation, right? Who spent three years wandering the Earth blind?" Rhodochrosite asked.

"Look, Pinky, I don`t want to be known as the Gem with the augmentation, the weak one who scampered around here as a lost, scared animal only until Rose Quartz found her." Howlite`s voice turned rough.

"But isn`t that what happened?" Rhodochrosite argued.

"Let`s just pretend it didn`t, that will get you my sympathy when you get shattered." Howlite snapped.

Rhodochrosite quieted down. "I`m not going to be shattered." She mumbled.

"And why not?" Howlite asked, her tone still snappy.

"I`m a Crystal Gem." Rhodochrosite said.

"Really? What led to that decision?" Howlite asked in a mocking tone.

"Sodalite took me out, and I got to see Earth and all of it`s beauty, and it shouldn`t be destroyed, and all of the innocent creatures that live here shouldn`t be destroyed." Rhodochrosite stated proudly.

"Well save your speech for when we get there." Howlite said with hints of sarcasm.

There was silence for the rest of the walk, only breathing and light grunts. Rhodochrosite accidentally stepped on Howlite`s heels a few times, causing Howlite to growl at Rhodochrosite. They finally stepped out of the prison hall and into the bright morning sun. It blinded Rhodochrosite and the other chained Gems at first, but their eyes got used to the light. Howlite hurried the Gems along and pulled them up to a stage, an executor waited there, a big, burly red Gem who wielded a Katana. The red Gem was large with a muscular, masculine build. This Gem`s eyes were more unsettling than Howlite`s, they were florescent lime green which contrasted with her red skin and hair. The mouth was even worse, covered in dripping saliva with a little foam, crusty lips, Rhodochrosite didn`t even want to know what her teeth were like. There was a crowd of Gems watching intently, and a large crowd in fact, all chattering excitedly among themselves. Rose Quartz was sitting in the second row, and Sodalite was in the same row, trying to find Rhodochrosite in the sea of heads.

Everyone eventually quieted down and allowed the ceremony to begin, it was a simple ceremony, and everyone was expecting shards in the sand by the time it was over. It started with the Pearl, who was led to center stage and asked a question by the red Gem.

"What side do you wish to take?" The red Gem asked the Pearl.

The Pearl took a moment to think. "I would like to follow the side of my superiors."

"What do your superiors suggest?" The red Gem asked.

"My superiors support the Kindergarten and the progress of Gem society." The Pearl closed her eyes.

The red Gem cracked her knuckles. "Very well. Just close your eyes, and you will be free to go home in a moment." The red Gem summoned her sword and raised it, she then brought it down on the Pearl`s neck, causing it to poof. The Gem of the Pearl clinked on the ground, only to have the sword jabbed through it, causing the shards to be scattered on the floor of the stage. The crowd cheered, with the exception of Rose Quartz and a few squeamish Pearls. Rhodochrosite and the pilot gasped.

Howlite unchained the pilot and pushed her towards center stage. "No pressure." Howlite said in a singsong tone.

The red Gem got rid of her sword and asked the pilot, "Now, what do you believe? Be honest, I can see if you lie."

"I wish to join the Crystal Gems and fight for Earth." The pilot said quietly.

"Really now..." The red Gem said, her voice cold as ice and sinister, it made you feel..suspense..like a cobra stalking you in the night. That feeling where something is about to happen, but you can`t defend yourself because you don`t know what`s about to happen.

The red Gem leaned in closer, looking into the pilot`s eyes...it took a few good minutes before the Gem screeched, "LIAR!" She wielded her sword and ran the pilot through with her blade, poofing the pilot Gem. The red Gem shattered the pilot`s Gem with finality, causing the crowd to cheer more.

"What you said to me better not be a lie or else I`ll go over there and shatter you myself." Howlite hissed as she pushed Rhodochrosite to center stage.

Sodalite held her breath.

"Saved the best for last, a pretty little Homeworld princess. Ooh, Howlite and Sodalite, you always bring good ones." The red Gem still had that sinister voice, she looked over at Howlite and smiled a wry, crooked toothed smile, like a jack-o-lantern.

"Get on it with it, Almandine." Howlite snapped.

"What side do you wish to take, Rhodochrosite?" Almandine, the red Gem asked.

"I am a Crystal Gem!" Rhodochrosite declared loudly and proudly.

"Ooh, you sound sure of yourself. Why do you wish to join us on the planet you plan to destroy?" Almandine hissed softly.

"I don`t plan to destroy it. This planet is too beautiful to destroy, and after all I have discovered in these past few days, I will not let Homeworld destroy anymore planets, or hurt anymore innocent people just for the sake of "the greater good". The greater good isn`t progress in science or society, what`s good is that everyone is happy, the naturally beautiful things, like the ocean and the moon. I`m sick and tired of being the naive princess, I want to be the Gem who stood up for a truly good cause, and that truly good cause, is exactly the cause you guys are fighting for." Rhodochrosite said. She looked to Almandine, who was already studying her. "And if you wish to shatter me with your so-called lie detector, I`ll fight back." Rhodochrosite put a hand on her Gem, ready to summon her weapon.

Almandine took a long, hard, look at Rhodochrosite before finally reaching a decision. "It`s the truth."

The crowd cheered just the same, even if she wasn`t shattered, they had a new person to share in this fight. Sodalite exhaled in relief, she got up to greet Howlite and Rhodochrosite.

Howlite and Sodalite instantly ran and hugged each other. "Can we take in Rhodochrosite? Can we?" Sodalite asked like an excited kid who found a stray puppy.

"Oh, if you insist, but she sleeps in the living room." Howlite said.

"Thank you!" Sodalite pulled Howlite into a hug once more.

Rhodochrosite on the other hand was talking to Rose. Rose towered over Rhodochrosite, but they looked similiar with the large poofy hair and having a pink Gem on their stomach.

"Welcome to the Crystal Gems, I am very happy that you have decided to join our cause. You won`t regret it." Rose smiled.

"Thank you, but Sodalite actually helped me make this decision." Rhodochrosite said.

"Really? How so?" Rose asked.

"Oh, she took me out a few nights ago for a walk on the beach. I got to see the beauty of this place firsthand, I have never seen it before until now." Rhodochrosite explained.

"Sodalite wanted you to make your decision from your heart, not out of fear, I respect that." Rose said.

Sodalite and Howlite rushed over to Rose and Rhodochrosite. "Don`t worry Rose! We have it under control, we can house Rhodochrosite until she gets on her feet." Sodalite said between breaths.

Rose chuckled. "That`s very kind of you, as well as you taking Rhodochrosite out to the beach. I respect your idea of joining our side out of heart and not out of fear, it sounds like something I would do."

Sodalite blushed. "Really?"

"Of course." Rose smiled. "You best be off, and be sure to change the logos on your clothing, you`re one of us now!"

Rhodochrosite smiled at Rose as she followed Sodalite and Howlite out of the crowd back to Sodalite and Howlite`s room.

* * *

"Feels great to be out of that stuffy cell..." Rhodochrosite smiled as the three Gems approached the door to Howlite and Sodalite`s room.

"Well prepared to be put in another stuffy room." Howlite said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Wait, you two share a room? Isn`t that a little odd?" Rhodochrosite asked.

"Not on Earth." Howlite shrugged.

Sodalite`s Gem glowed blue on her neck and Howlite held out her palm to allow it to glow white. The door opened to reveal the room, it looked more like an apartment. There was something like a living room when they first walked in, with a couch, coffee table, and a little lamp. A kitchen was also in the big space. Another door led to the bedroom where Sodalite and Howlite slept.

"You fit all of this inside your pocket dimension?" Rhodochrosite asked in awe.

"Let`s not forget the bathroom." Sodalite said, gesturing to another door next to the bedroom.

"The bathroom? What do you need that for?" Rhodochrosite asked.

"You`ll see when you eat something." Howlite smiled devilishly. "Now where exactly will Pinky be sleeping? She won`t be sharing a bedroom with us, that`s for sure."

"I don`t even know how to sleep." Rhodochrosite said quietly.

"Oh, you don`t know what you`re missing!" Sodalite punched Rhodochrosite lightly on the shoulder.

"Rose is going to start battle training tomorrow for Operation Orosu, we`ll be recruiting humans too! I expect that Rhodochrosite will be attending." Howlite said.

"Yep, get changed, if I have to look at those diamonds on your clothes I`m gonna be sick." Sodalite told Rhodochrosite before making a fake choking noise.

"Okay okay I`ll change in the bathroom." Rhodochrosite ran into the bathroom and shut the door.

After a few seconds of waiting, Rhodochrosite slid out of the bathroom and stopped in front of Howlite and Sodalite in her same outfit, a hot pink cropped top with a white skater skirt and light pink ballet flats. However, a yellow star was on the chest of her top and all the diamond designs on her skirt disappeared, it was just a white skirt. Her poofy hair was no longer down and mountainous, but in a high ponytail. She held her lotus clip in her hands, looking timidly at it. It was the last thing she had of her past life, one of luxury, one where she was free to go anywhere, one where she could live in peace.

Sodalite and Howlite approached her slowly, not sure what she would do with this relic of her past.

Rhodochrosite closed her eyes and snapped the clip in half, she then disintegrated it out of her palm. She looked up to see her two new friends, Sodalite grinning, teeth and all, and Howlite meekly smiling with her lips and holding her elbow.

Rhodochrosite sighed, instead of longing to go home, she realized that all that time, she was lost, wandering the galaxy in the wrong place.

 _I am finally home._ Rhodochrosite thought, and smiled at the two Gems looking at her.

* * *

 **Eeee guess who`s a threesome?**

 **It`ll take some getting used to, but Rhodochrosite is here to stay and fight for Earth with the help of her new friends!**

 **Also, the ending for Stakes made me cry! Oh my gosh I fangirled so hard through the whole thing...**


	11. Battle Prep

"We`ll meet you later today to teach you piloting skills." Sodalite said to Rhodochrosite before allowing her to walk out the door.

"And if you don`t know where to go, just ask, and someone will assist you. We would do it, but Sodalite and I have to work on the starships." Howlite added.

"Thanks guys, see you tonight!" Rhodochrosite walked out the door, leaving Sodalite and Howlite to lightly sigh, like parents sending their child off to the first day of school.

* * *

"You know how to summon your weapon and use it accordingly, right Rhodochrosite?" An instructor asked, who happened to be Garnet.

"Yes." Rhodochrosite nodded.

"Good, for now I want you to spar with the human recruits, don`t kill them, just show them how it`s done." Garnet gestured to the several humans waiting with weapons and wearing battle armor.

The humans were paired with Gems, and they began to spar with each other. When selecting recruits, Rose Quartz went for people who were strong enough to pass as a Gem, and people who were eager, educated and aware enough to support a cause such as theirs. Rhodochrosite was paired with a young girl with tan skin and short black hair. She was wearing something like a tank top and a short skater skirt, but with armor in appropriate places. She wielded an axe, just like Sodalite.

"I`m Rhodochrosite." Rhodochrosite held out her hand to shake.

"Are you...one of the aliens?" The girl asked.

Rhodochrosite`s eyes widened, she had never had anyone look at her in fear, look at her like she was different. "I wouldn`t use aliens to describe us, we are just like you, we walk, talk, and act like you. So, as a fellow Earth dweller, I ask of your name."

"It`s Ajax." The girl said quietly. "Ajax Maheswaran."

"I like your name, and it will likely be remembered throughout history. Children everywhere will be inspired by your dedication to helping save the Earth." Rhodochrosite smiled.

"But I had to sneak here to fight for you, I wouldn`t be allowed otherwise. Girls aren`t supposed to fight." Ajax was still speaking timidly.

"So? Who cares what they think?" Rhodochrosite knelt down to Ajax`s level. "Let me tell you a secret, we`re all breaking the rules here. Sometimes, what is right isn`t always what the crowd says." She whispered.

Ajax went from a scared to determined look on her face. She pulled out her axe and got in position to spar. Rhodochrosite smiled and summoned her weapon. "That`s the spirit!" Rhodochrosite shouted.

Rhodochrosite and Ajax sparred, and Ajax was surprisingly a fair match for Rhodochrosite, she was naturally talented at fighting with her axe, and she even defeated Rhodochrosite with this dexterity. Eventually, it was just the metallic shings and clanks of their weapons hitting each other as the other sparring groups watched.

"Make sure your parries are close to your body, parries and blocks are meant to direct your opponent`s weapon away from you." Rhodochrosite advised, and Ajax followed obediently.

After finally finishing, Ajax was exhausted and covered in scratches. She looked almost in tears, and longed for something to drink. Rhodochrosite was confused by this, she had never felt thirst, and not an over abundance of pain. She looked around the base and eventually found a pail of water. She carried it with all of her strength and set it down next to Ajax and smiled meekly. Ajax looked up at the towering figure of Rhodochrosite, then took a long sip of the water.

"Thank you." Ajax said between ravenous sips.

"You`re welcome. You did good today, I would be honored to battle by your side and call you an honorary Crystal Gem." Rhodochrosite replied.

Ajax stopped sipping and smiled at Rhodochrosite, who smiled back. After helping Ajax up, patching her wounds and saying goodbye, Rhodochrosite walked out of the training room to meet Howlite and Rhodochrosite at the vehicle area, where they were fixing a large starship`s rocket jets.

"Hey, I`m ready for my piloting lesson." Rhodochrosite said, standing by the rocket jet Howlite and Sodalite were inside of. The inside of the jet from afar was just a deep, big hole, but deep inside the jet Sodalite and Howlite were working on the complicated workings that get the jet to spew fire and power the ship through the stars.

"Wait a sec, we`re almost done!" Sodalite`s voice echoed out of the jet.

"No we`re not, we still have three other things to do. This bird isn`t gonna fly for another three hours. Hey, mind handing me that torque wrench?" Rhodochrosite could hear Howlite`s voice.

"Ugh, here`s the torque wrench. You`re lucky I gave it to you, since you have been hogging the flashlight. I`ve dropped my screwdriver _three_ times so far, I hope you`re happy. You probably don`t even need a flashlight, Miss Tech Eyes." Sodalite`s voice said with a hint of frustration.

"You`re right, I`ve been hogging it just to make you mad." Howlite replied.

"Ugh, Howlite!" Sodalite sighed in exasperation.

"Aw, you look so cute when you`re mad!" Howlite giggled.

"Flashlight, now. Rhodochrosite is waiting." Sodalite ordered before a loud THUNK echoed through the jet.

"I can`t believe your vision is so bad that you dropped the flashlight during the exchange from my hands to yours!" Howlite was laughing out loud.

"Oh shut up, this job isn`t easy you know!" Sodalite shouted.

"Guys! If you aren`t going to be done, what do you want me to do?" Rhodochrosite asked, interrupting Sodalite and Howlite`s banter.

"I don`t know!" The two voices said in unison.

* * *

 **Three hours of waiting later...**

The three Gems were sitting the cockpit of the same ship they were working on. Rhodochrosite was amazed at all the buttons and levers and flashing lights with whirring sounds. Rhodochrosite copped a squat in the pilot`s seat and Howlite and Sodalite stood over her.

"Okay, what do I do now?" Rhodochrosite asked, looking back at Sodalite and Howlite.

"Start it up, flip that switch there, then press that button, then put your foot on that pedal." Howlite gestured to each feature, and Rhodochrosite did everything rather abrasively, just out of excitement. The ship burst to life with a sputter and a series of whirring noises.

"Be careful with the equipment, this is my ship you`re messing with." Howlite scolded.

"You mean, _our_ ship." Sodalite placed a hand on Howlite`s shoulder.

"Yeah, right." Howlite smiled.

"Your ship? Do you guys share everything?" Rhodochrosite asked.

"That`s kind of a part of being married." Sodalite said.

"Married? What is..married?" Rhodochrosite asked.

"Well, when Rose found Howlite, she assigned me to help her around while she still couldn`t see. We got to know each other during that time, and when Howlite didn`t need me anymore, we still hung out together as friends. After a while, it was more than friends, we loved each other, and we still do love each other. After talking to some local humans, we decided to get human married, as a symbol of our love and our acceptance of Earth culture." Sodalite explained. "Garnet was so upset when we told her we didn`t want to become a "permafusion" like her, but she still took up our offer on walking Howlite down the aisle on our wedding day. Of course, you didn`t want to wear that poofy white dress either, Howlite, but I lucked out because I can pass as a boy easier than you." Sodalite grinned.

"Yeah, we had to conform to human gender roles for our wedding to be possible, because it was the humans who helped us with the whole thing. " Howlite said.

"It was snowing, Christmas Eve, as the humans called it. They even hung mistletoe over our heads at the altar!" Sodalite wrapped her hand in Sodalite`s.

Rhodochrosite noticed the golden band around Sodalite and Howlite`s fingers as she turned in her chair and cleared her throat loudly, as though to get the two lovers back on task.

"Oh, sorry. Where were we? Oh yeah, the steering wheel in front of you controls everything, just hold the pedal down and it will move. Try bringing this bird into the air." Howlite said.

Rhodochrosite grabbed the steering wheel and pulled it up, urging the spaceship into the air. She could fell the movement of all the motors inside the ship, it caused the floor to slightly vibrate, which caused her feet to vibrate as well. The ship remained stationary in the air, hovering, and Rhodochrosite awaited orders from her two mentors.

"How about we just take a flight over the base, get it higher, then fly it up and over the temple. Go slow at first, then we can go fast once we get to the correct altitude, and maybe we can just fly over the ocean." Howlite said.

"Perhaps if we get far enough on the ocean we can test out all the bells and whistles on this puppy. We have dual blasters, three missile launchers, ray shields, cloaking device, a plasma cannon, seat warmers," Sodalite began to list.

"Seat warmers might not seem important, but in the winters this thing can get cold." Howlite added. "We also have cup holders, because what kind of vehicle doesn`t have cup holders?"

"Back on task, now let`s fly!" Sodalite patted Rhodochrosite on the shoulder as she urged the starship higher into the air, then powered it over the cliff slowly. By then, it was already at a decent altitude for a joy ride.

"Next stop, the ocean!" Howlite whooped, she then knelt down and turned on the seat warmers.

Rhodochrosite powered the ship towards the ocean, the newly fixed rocket jets spitting infernos as the ship flashed across the sky. Rhodochrosite was in awe as she stared out the cockpit window, the beautiful blue sky, wispy cirrus clouds, miles of endless teal sea, and the crisp, warm light of the sun. Sodalite had all seen it before, but she was still appreciative that she could still gaze upon the magnificence of the planet everyday, and Howlite was just thankful she _could_ see the beautiful celestial body of Earth.

"Press that button here to fire the dual blasters, and that one for missiles, and that big purple one is for the plasma cannon, if you ever need it. Ray shields are activated by that blue button next to the cloaking device, that black one. Ray shields can protect you against blasters and missiles, but it can`t protect you against other stuff like impact, crashing.." Sodalite began to explain.

"The hand of an Alpha Quartz." Howlite whispered under her breath before getting slapped in the leg and glared at by Sodalite.

"Will I be flying this into battle?" Rhodochrosite asked.

"No, no. The plan is, Sodalite and I will be down in the heat of the battle for a little bit, but my ship is expected to come and pick me up, with the help of autopilot, and take me into the skies, see if I can take down as many reinforcement ships as possible." Howlite explained.

"This is just in case, you know, if the war continues after Operation Orosu tomorrow. This operation is supposed to shut down the Kindergarten, but fate is a river that can never be charted." Sodalite said.

"What will I be doing in this whole thing?" Rhodochrosite asked.

"Oh you`ll be a foot soldier, just hold off Homeworld troops, the _real_ plan is placed upon the hands of experienced soldiers." Howlite said.

"Okay Rhodochrosite, we still have to try out speeders, be sure to _land_ the ship and not _crash_ it. " Sodalite instructed. "Do it gently.."

Rhodochrosite landed the ship gently, Sodalite only had to maternally gasp a few times when Rhodochrosite was landing it. When making their descent, Rhodochrosite had the ship facing nose down until Sodalite frantically took the wheel and corrected the ship. After landing, Sodalite, Howlite, and a jet-lagged Rhodochrosite sauntered off the ship and they began their walk to the speeder garage.

"Do I have to ride _another_ thing? Can I just sit down on a stationary chair first?" Rhodochrosite groaned.

Sodalite chuckled. "You haven`t ridden a speeder before? They actually have these on Homeworld! That spaceship used to be a Homeworld spaceship, but with modifications. These puppies are in their purest form." Sodalite said, walking up to her speeder and patting the seat.

Howlite walked over to speeder and mounted it, ready to start, Sodalite mounted hers.

"Wait, what will I be riding?" Rhodochrosite sure had a lot of questions.

"Oh, you`re going to be driving me this time." Sodalite smiled and scooted backwards in the seat, giving Rhodochrosite room to sit at the mount.

"Oh Gold help me..." Rhodochrosite sighed in perturbation as she walked over to the speeder and sat down at the driver`s seat.

"You`ll do fine!" Howlite smiled as she powered on her speeder.

"Just let the speeder do the work in the beginning. All you have to do is put your hands on that holographic screen that comes up, and then move your hands the way you want your speeder to go. There are bayonets on the ends of our speeders, so if you don`t know how to use your weapon while riding a speeder like Howlite and I can, then you`ll survive. Don`t worry though, you won`t be riding these into battle." Sodalite explained.

Rhodochrosite forcefully put her hands into the holographic screen, causing the speeder to lurch forward and power out of the garage at full speed, much to everyone`s surprise.

"Whoa, hey! I`m supposed to be leading you two!" Howlite shouted, driving after the runaway speeder.

"SLOW DOWN! PLACE YOUR HANDS INTO THE SCREEN _GENTLY_ , I FORGOT TO MENTION _GENTLY_!" Sodalite screamed.

Rhodochrosite eased her hands out of the screen, causing the speeder to stabilize and slow down, both Rhodochrosite and Sodalite sighed in relief.

"Woof! I thought you were going to crash my speeder!" Sodalite said between pants. "Let`s take this nice and slow..."

Rhodochrosite powered the speeder at a leisurely speed, allowing Howlite to catch up so they could have a joy ride together. They rode through the hills of the area, caught a view of a very primitive version of Beach City, and sped along the beach, scaring all of the crabs and seagulls away. It was exhilarating for Rhodochrosite, for ignorance was bliss, but Sodalite and Howlite spent most of the ride worrying about the battle soon to come, what it meant for them and their future. Battles were never a happy occasion, it meant a maelstrom of destruction and death, it meant the fear of losing the people they loved, and that every moment up until then could be their last. Although fighting for Earth was a conscience and perhaps right choice, Sodalite and Howlite dreaded the thought of fighting.

That night, Sodalite played with Howlite`s long crimped hair like she always did, humming to her the same lullaby, before kissing each other goodnight and falling asleep in each other`s arms. Warriors in peace time never want to admit it, but it was moments like these that made all Crystal Gems wish and wonder, fantasize for a life where they didn`t have to fight, for each one in reality was afraid, and they knew it.

Operation Orosu was happening tomorrow, whether they liked it, or not...

* * *

 **Hi! Sorry for taking so long...**

 **Last chapter of this arc is next! I didn`t take a lot of time to get to know Rhodochrosite, which is sad, but like I said, fate is a river that can never be charted.**

 **I would love to know what everyone thought of this little arc, so please review below!**

 **Happy Thanksgiving!**


	12. Operation Orosu

BREEEAAAHHH! A siren rang throughout the base, waking all who were sleeping from their slumber. A different siren sounded in Beach City, alerting all the human soldiers that were fighting. Normally in the mornings, Sodalite and Howlite were groggy, grumpy, and slow, but this time, they had never been more awake, quick, and slightly panicked. Rhodochrosite hadn`t slept, and she was confused during the whole thing. Sodalite quickly braided Howlite`s hair and the two Gems kissed each other goodbye. Howlite pulled up her bandana and the three Gems exited the pocket dimension, out into the base where all the Gems were frantically scrambling. Howlite ran off to her starship, where she flicked on autopilot and set it so that it would come and pick her up at the time she needed it. A group of Gems went and mounted their speeders, Rose included, and got ready to lead the bustling masses of foot soldiers that were to follow them to the Kindergarten. Rhodochrosite was in the middle, if not back of this crowd, waiting nervously with her weapon when a brown horse nudged its way through the masses.

It was Ajax, mounted on the horse, armed with a bow, her quiver was slung across her back and her axe was clipped to her belt.

"Are you ready for this? You could...die.." Rhodochrosite said.

Rhodochrosite could see Ajax shiver. "Of course, I`m a Crystal Gem too, and it`s worth it to fight for such a great cause." Ajax smiled through her fear.

Rhodochrosite smiled back, loosening and tightening her grip on her weapon as the battle inched closer. Sodalite and Howlite were in the line of people on speeders, and they were in the best place to hear Rose`s speech for her soldiers.

"You all know the plan, we all know the danger of it and possibly the benefit of it. Do not lose your heads, do not lose hope, and remember what we are fighting for! Remember where we came from, poverty, pain, weakness, just a pawn in Homeworld`s cold, heartless system that supposedly enforces good on the galaxy! We laugh now, but this is our time, our time to show them that they can`t just destroy people, planets, innocent lives, without someone returning the favor." Rose began.

All the soldiers cheered and cursed the names of Homeworld and the Great Diamond Authority.

"Take down the Kindergarten, stare down the face of Homeworld, and protect what really is good! For Earth and all Gemmanity and Humanity!" Rose held her sword up, everyone raised their weapons in reply shouting, "For Earth, Gemmanity, and Humanity!"

The soldiers got in their ranks, and the line of speeders in the front lead the group to the Kindergarten. Everyone ran all the way to the Kindergarten, letting what seemed to be the entire area know that something was coming, the grasses of the path leading to the Kindergarten were trampled down hard, and eventually the militia stopped at the cliff wall leading into the Kindergarten.

"Ready your weapons." Soldiers whispered to the people around them.

A few Pearls pulled out Rose Quartz`s battle flag, and everyone charged down into the Kindergarten, letting out a battle cry that had the might of a tornado and echoed in the cliffs like thunder. The Kindergarteners were and weren`t ready for this, but Kindergarteners were already on the scene, holding off foot soldiers. The bayonets on the speeders and the use of weapons by the speeder users were effective, the death toll wasn`t large in the beginning.

At least, not until the Quartz came.

The big, burly warriors were ready to fight, and they massacred the Crystal Gem army tremendously, especially human soldiers. After a while, only Ajax and a few other men were standing, trying to fight and control their spooked horses at the same time. Rhodochrosite noticed that Ajax was cornered by five Quartz, and she had to do something. Rhodochrosite ran over and clubbed a Quartz from behind, causing all the Quartz to turn away from Ajax.

"Run, Ajax! Save yourself, and tell the humans back home to evacuate the city, or at least, barricade your homes until we give you the signal!" Rhodochrosite ordered. Ajax looked at her in tears, only to recieve a calming, final, "I`m proud of you." from Rhodochrosite. Ajax galloped away on her horse away from the Kindergarten as fast as she could.

Now Rhodochrosite was cornered by five Smoky Quartz.

"We should try out that tactic.." She could hear the Quartz whispering.

Rhodochrosite readied her weapon, frozen in fear, and anxious about this "tactic". Sodalite and Howlite were fighting from their speeders, making good progress. Howlite would throw her knives with excellent precision, shattering Gems on the spot. Even a few Kindergarten workers had recognized her augmentation, muttering, "That`s that one thing White Diamond tried to make..."

Sodalite turned and saw that Rhodochrosite was in trouble with the Quartz, then shouted to Howlite, "Fuse with me!"

"What, why? We are doing just fine on our own!" Howlite yelled back.

"But Pinky`s in trouble, look!" Sodalite pointed to the area where Rhodochrosite was cornered.

Howlite recognized the Smoky Quartz, and the two lovers powered their speeders over to Rhodochrosite. The five Smoky Quartz fused into Smoky Quartz Alpha, the deranged spider-like being that Howlite knew so well. Its hair was wild, untamed, long and frowzy, it had a leg structure like Malachite, it was almost animal-like. The fusion gave a wry, jack-o-lantern smile, showing off its crooked yellow fangs. Rhodochrosite was petrified, and she knew, that this was the end. She didn`t even try to fight.

Sodalite and Howlite quickly jumped off their speeders and ran to the scene as Smoky Quartz Alpha summoned her flail, let out a cackling roar, and began to slam down the flail. Rhodochrosite closed her eyes and covered her face with her mace. Sodalite and Howlite`s forms morphed into Benitoite, they then summoned their halbird and blocked the flail with all their strength...

CLAAANK!

Rhodochrosite opened her eyes to see that she was standing behind a tall Gem with light blue skin, short white dreadlocked hair, wearing a karategi, she was standing in a defensive stance, blocking the Alpha Quartz with what looked to be a halbird.

"Run, NOW! I`ll hold her off!" Benitoite shouted, her voice thundering, and it sounded oddly familiar to Rhodochrosite.

Rhodochrosite ran away from the two Gems, but watched in awe as the two giants dueled with their weapons. It was a clash of titans, but Benitoite poofed the Alpha Quartz with a blow to her giant, wide legs. The giant woman jabbed her halbird into the five Gems, poofing them all.

It was too early for celebration though, many Quartz got the memo after seeing Smoky Quartz Alpha, and their were more Alpha Quartz stomping around the Kindergarten. The spaceship fleet for the Crystal Gems was just showing up, but many of the ship were taken down by giant flails, whips and other weapons. A few Alpha Quartz just knocked down ships with their hands like cats whacking a dangling string. Some of the remaining Crystal Gems got the message too, they fused with their friends into massive fusions and took on the Alpha Quartz, they also demolished as many Kindergarten injectors as possible, which helped take the place of the dwindling starship fleet.

Benitoite unfused, leaving Sodalite to remount her speeder and keep going in the battle. Howlite on the other hand, ran to her pickup spot, where her starship swooped down, a ladder dangling underneath it. Howlite leaped onto the ladder and climbed into her ship as it took to the sky. Once inside the ship, Howlite pulled up the ladder, shut all ship hatches and got in the pilot`s seat. She turned off autopilot, turned on the seat warmers, and hollered, "Let`s ride!" Howlite cackled and flew up to the air battle that was taking place over the Kindergarten.

Let`s just say that there was a whole `nother battle going on in the sky. It was the job of the Crystal Gems Star Fleet to do two jobs, one, stop Homeworld Reinforcement Ships from making it to the Kindergarten, and two, destroy all Kindergarten facilities and inner workings, such as injectors. Howlite was instantly sieged by Homeworld ships, and she was also often caught in the crossfire of Crystal Gem ships.

"Okay, first order of business, turn on ray shields." Howlite said to herself as she pressed the button.

The ship`s communication device whirred before she heard the voice of Spinel. "I thought you`d never come, Howlite!" Spinel chuckled.

"Let`s push aside the humor Spinel, Team Blue is almost taken out, take Diopside, Labradorite, and Bloodstone to help take out the injectors and other Kindergarten workings. I`ll take over your position as Red Leader, and we`ll take care of the reinforcement ships." Howlite ordered.

"Oh, so you want me to just give up my position as leader?" Spinel asked with attitude.

"Team Blue needs you, this isn`t about ranks and competition, Rose would want you to take a stand and help, now go do it or I`ll hijack your ray shields!" Howlite shouted.

"You can`t hijack my ray shields." Spinel said.

"Oh yeah, I`m the head mechanic, I could have wired a remote that controls your ship from anywhere in the galaxy. Don`t test me." Howlite threatened.

"Yes, ma`m." Spinel whimpered as she and the ships of Diopside, Labradorite, and Bloodstone dove down to help Team Blue.

"Ha, suckers." Howlite muttered as she fired a missile at an oncoming Homeworld ship. Howlite helped Team Red tremendously, according to Howlite`s count, she had taken out 10 Homeworld ships in the span of 15 minutes. By the time she reached her 11th ship, the remaining Homeworld pilots were panicking.

"Hey, Howlite, this is Labradorite. Spinel has been taken out, along with Bloodstone. Team Blue needs your help down here, Team Red is doing fine now that you`ve helped, but these Alpha Quartz are really being a problem." Howlite heard through her communication device.

"I`m on it. Moonstone, you are Red Leader now, take care of `em." Howlite said as she dove down, taking out an Alpha Quartz with a missile as she was coming down.

Howlite and Labradorite, being the only Team Blue ships left, took out three injectors and two training facilities before Labradorite was taken out by the flail of an Aventurine Quartz Alpha. Howlite took out the Alpha Quartz soon after to avenge the death of her friend and teammate.

"Okay, getting serious now." Howlite whispered before speaking through her communication device. "Anyone on Team Red who is free, please come help, I`m the only one left."

Howlite directed her ship for an injector, the last one in the Kindergarten, her look was a paragon of pure determination as she took aim at her prize, almost there...almost finished...almost time to wake up from this nightmare...

WHAM! Out of nowhere, her ship was whacked by the giant paw of an Alpha Quartz. The ceiling of Howlite`s ship was dented in and she could feel her ship sinking towards the ground. Alarms were going off here and there in her ship, beeping and whirring and screaming in her ears as her ship slammed to the ground, exploding in an inferno of green fire.

* * *

Sodalite and Rhodochrosite were off fighting again, for a while they fought side by side, but once Sodalite found her way back to her speeder, they were off in different directions. Rhodochrosite was fighting near a Pearl and Rose Quartz. Rhodochrosite would catch glimpses of the Pearl taking on every foe, no matter how big, just for Rose. Occasionally, Rose would shove her out of the way and shatter the opponent herself or protect her with her shield. Rose even took out a couple Alpha Quartz all in the name of protecting the Pearl. It wasn`t until the Pearl was poofed, that Rhodochrosite got back on task, wondering what was so special about that Pearl that made Rose fight for it so vigorously. Normally on Homeworld, people didn`t care what happened to their Pearls, besides letting out a little angry growl because they were expensive.

Rhodochrosite and Sodalite went through many enemies, and within another fifteen minutes, the air battle had very few heads left, three to be exact, and only about a hundred foot soldiers remained. Sodalite and Rhodochrosite were separated, oblivious to what was happening with the other person. Sodalite was in a speeder chase with a Kindergarten Worker, slaloming through the cliffs. Sodalite was headed towards where Rhodochrosite was cornered by a smaller, yet still large Milky Quartz Alpha. The brown Gem chasing Sodalite pulled out a laser gun, something that Sodalite hadn`t seen except on as a feature on her starship. The brown Gem caught up to Sodalite, only a few yards behind her speeder, before firing the laser gun. The laser bullet went right through the back of Sodalite`s neck, penetrating her Gem placed in the front of her neck, and shattering it in a burst of blue shards.

Rhodochrosite cowered in the shadow to the Milky Quartz Alpha, shivering, shaking in her clothes, but still standing defiant. Rhodochrosite`s mind was rushing, adrenaline fueling her as she thought, _I`m not going down without a fight._

Rhodochrosite ran towards the Quartz` leg, hoping to take it out the same way Benitoite did, only to get kicked away. Rhodochrosite back slammed against the cliff wall and she felt to her knees, weak, and in pain. She couldn`t even move. The Milky Quartz Alpha cackled in triumph, its glittering, yellow snake eyes beaming down on her.

Rhodochrosite called out as a last resort. "Help, Sodalite!" Just before the giant flail, although it was more of a morning star, fell down on the form of Rhodochrosite, splintering her Gem onto the already war-stained ground.

 _Everything was black..._

* * *

 **Three weeks after Rhodochrosite and Sodalite`s funeral and the desertion of the Kindergarten...**

Everything was hazy, the cliffs of what used to be the Kindergarten were surrounded by mist. Every creaking sound, every noise made by the wind or the settling of ruins, echoed through the cliffs eerily. There was nothing there, not flowers, grass, animals, Gems, technology. The whole area was just a radioactive, desolate, wasteland. A shell of what could`ve been... a beautiful geographical feature or a big Gem facility. It looked liked a nuclear fallout area, and visible particles of dust and ash blew in each blow of wind.

Deep in the decay, were the remnants of Howlite`s starship, not making a sound, until a white hand burst out of the debris. The body of Howlite emerged and climbed out of her spaceship ruins. She looked around the area, taking in her surroundings.

"We must`ve won." Howlite said, looking around.

Howlite wandered around the Kindergarten, not sure how long she had been there. Suddenly, she collapsed on the ground, holding her head as the memories came flooding back. She was laying on the floor in a crippled ball, knocked from her pilot`s chair, screaming, her hearing and thoughts interrupted with the wailing of sirens and alarms as she felt gravity pulling her to a plunge into utter blackness. The wiring of her ship, destroyed and loose, electric sparks leaping off the wires and onto her skin, burning her, shocking her, running up her veins and toying with her augmentation. The sparks got into her eyes and irritated them, causing her pain no matter how much she blinked, closed them tight, or opened them wide.

That same eye pain came back, and Howlite had no idea how to stop it. Her ears rang with the same wailing sirens, the burning from the sparks hitting her skin came back, and the feeling of each electrical current weaving through her veins as they shocked her caused her to vibrate and shake. Howlite noticed in her agony that her Gem was cracked, a large fault up the middle of the prism-shaped stone in her palm.

"Gah, curse this putrid form! Why have I chosen to be so weak?!" Howlite shouted in rage.

Howlite growled and grunted in agony as she morphed into a serpent-like form, she still had legs, but she was bigger and looked more like a crocodile or giant lizard. Howlite`s back and limbs cracked, fractured and reformed as she took this form. Her skin hurt too as it went from soft and smooth to rough, hard and scaly.

Howlite stomped around the Kindergarten, still walking off her rage, when she felt a sharp pain in her foot.

"Yow! What is it now?" Howlite lifted her foot to find a shard, and she immediately recognized it as Sodalite`s. Her form shrunk back into its previous humanoid shape. She clutched the shard in her hand, and tears rolled down her face.

"Sodalite? Oh, how could this have happened? Those stupid Quartz, stupid Homeworld." Howlite growled. "Of course, they`re making me weaker every minute I stand here, I won`t let it happen... I`ll show you that I`m stronger than you! Howlite morphed into her sauropod appearance and roared into the sky.

Howlite looked down at the lone shard sitting lifelessly in front of her, and she sat down, more so, fell to her knees. Howlite closed her eyes and allowed her form to shrink back down. Tears welled in her eyes and eventually fell like light drops of rain on the ground, which caused her eyes to burn. More memories came back, a flashback of her entire life, from the pain of the experiment, to the fear and trauma of her crash to Earth, from meeting Sodalite in blackness, to the luxurious kiss as snow fell at her wedding, from their first fusion to their last, and finally, the crash that could`ve ended her life.

 _Could`ve..._ Howlite thought. _It already did. My entire life killed me. My past is merely spitting in my face, kicking me in the gut, and for what, to all come down to this. I should be thankful to have survived, but instead I laugh at fate, because I`ve been dead all along._

Howlite morphed back into her sauropod form, but felt more pain as she felt conflicted, her mind battling itself, more and more serpent heads sprouted from her scaly body, each representing a different emotion, a different idea on the subject of her life. She lost her legs, just as she had lost the feeling of purpose, she wasn`t going anywhere, so why did she need legs? Howlite felt empowered by this form, and she never wanted to go back. She slithered away, leaving the shard on the ground, where it later sunk into the ground with the rest of Sodalite`s shards and Rhodochrosite`s shards to meld together...

* * *

 **Oh gosh, allow me to fall backwards on my bed in exhaustion because I just barfed up a lot of words and emotion...**

 **Dang...that was intense...**

 **I didn`t think this was going to be done on Thanksgiving, so I guess I`ll say it again...Happy Thanksgiving!**

 **The end of A Story 1,000 Years in the Making! What did everyone think of this? I would love to know!**


	13. Rhodonite Reformed

Rhodonite`s eyes snapped open, the pupils in her eyes quickly constricted revealing their dark blue color that had bits of pink in the iris. She was still in her meditative stance, like she was before, but something was different, like a thousand years went by. She felt wiser, and she looked at herself, the hands that were unfamiliar, but now she knew what they were.

"I have Sodalite`s hands, and her eyes. But I have Rhodochrosite`s poofy hair and her tiny feet." Rhodonite stood up and actually analyzed herself.

She began to pick her form, she knew she had to regenerate soon, and she wanted to. Her outfit changed, the once sloppy yoga pants turned into dark blue skin-tight leggings with knee pads for protection. The cropped tank turned into a pink blouse and she formed darker pink archer elbow pads for arm protection, since the blouse didn't have sleeves.

"Let`s not forget, I`m a Crystal Gem, too." Rhodonite smiled as she put black stars on her pads and put on big one on her chest.

* * *

"It`s been two weeks, we better see if Rhodonite`s ready to regenerate." Garnet said, opening up the door to the room full of bubbled Gems.

"Are you sure about this, Garnet?" Pearl asked.

"Absolutely, if I am correct, she`ll be back to normal, better even." Garnet said.

The five Gems walked in and quickly found Rhodonite`s bubbled Gem. Steven, without being told, ran and popped the bubble and Rhodonite`s lifeless Gem fell on the floor.

"Be ready for anything." Garnet warned the other Gems.

The Gem began to glow and the figure of Rhodonite began to form, and it was a normal Gem form, and the white figure reared up. Suddenly, cracks and growls as the figure grew its six legs and long neck and tail. You could hear Rhodonite`s back crack and see her body lurch as though she was being socked in the gut as jagged spikes stuck out of her back. The crest on her head stuck up in anger and Rhodonite`s eyes opened in the monster. The Gems formed their weapons. The monster thumped on the ground, still white in the form-building process. Its gaze was fixed in the eyes of the Gems.

"Don`t think you won`t see me again if you step out of line!" The beast roared before shrinking back into the regular humanoid form. The crest died down into her mohawk and her new form, clothes and all appeared in full color, much to the Gems` relief.

Rhodonite clutched her Gem and pulled the two weapons, the pink mace and blue battle ax and threw them into the air. The two weapons then melded into a dark pink and blue tomahawk above her head, she snatched it from the air and held it to the necks of the Gems.

"You poofed me." Rhodonite growled.

The Gems were too shocked to even speak. Rhodonite then dropped her weapon and pulled the other Gems into a group hug, "And I thank you for it."

The Crystal Gems smiled and pulled each other closer.

* * *

 **I have to admit, I`m kind of glad to have Rhodonite back...**

 **Sorry this chapter isn't as long as usual, I guess I would consider it a "connector" scene. :)**

 **Are you guys excited to see Rhodonite, Steven, and the modern day Crystal Gems? Or do you miss Sodalite, Howlite, Rhodochrosite, and the original gang?**


	14. First Mission (The XiangLiu)

"Be careful, Rhodonite, this is your first mission.. You may be a bit rusty." Garnet advised as they began to walk into the cave.

"This creature has been wreaking havoc for farmers in the last few days, we don`t know what it looks like, but it is quick and sneaky, with spikes on its body like daggers that it can sling at will." Pearl said.

"So watch your back." Amethyst slammed her fist into her hand.

"Ready your weapons." Garnet said, forming her gauntlets. Amethyst summoned her whip, Pearl pulled out her spear, Rhodonite readied her tomahawk and Steven formed his shield. Five Crystal Gems were bound to be more effective than four, especially with two fusions, if Rhodonite could be called a fusion.

Steven sighed. "This is going to be intense."

They stepped deeper into the cave to find a big, white, scaly mound with black veining. It was sleeping, curled up like a serpent, still as a mountain, and large like one too. Garnet spotted the Gem of the beast, right on its side, and it actually had a crack running through it. All they had to do was poof the beast and they were all set. Garnet tiptoed over to the beast and raised her gauntlets, ready to slam the creature with them. She pulled down, nailing the animal in the side, but that only woke it up with a growl. A nine-headed serpent unraveled, the heads hissed and began to snap at Garnet, but she punched each one away.

The largest head had a hood like a cobra, and it had the biggest and sharpest fangs out of all of them. Garnet decided to take on the big head, whilst the other Gems went for the other eight heads that began to go after them.

Pearl kept jabbing her spear in two heads` faces, they hissed and one of them almost succeeded in grabbing her. One opened its jaws and aimed right for Pearl`s head, but Pearl stuck her spear into it`s mouth, causing it to fall on the ground, knocked out. The other head, she spun around, spinning her spear as well before stopping and stabbing the head, the spear end going through the top jaw and out the bottom jaw.

Amethyst got rid of her two heads rather quickly, she pulled out a second whip, tied each whip around each head and pulled the two into each other, causing them to knock their heads together and fall limp on the ground. However, a head that Steven lost came over and attacked her. The head growled and silver spikes rose out of its skin.

"Oooh, come on!" Amethyst shouted as she tried to dodge all the quills coming at her. "This thing is armed!" She called to the other Gems before slicing the head she was working with off its neck.

Steven and Rhodonite decided to work together, knowing that Steven`s weapon was strictly defensive and it was Rhodonite`s first time. Rhodonite clubbed the two heads they were supposed to work with with her tomahawk, it was actually a very clean kill, no grappling or spikes were needed, just a hit to the neck. She looked around for more work to do, and seeing that only two heads remained, but it looked like Garnet had it covered.

The main head was still grappling with Garnet, trying to hit her with spikes and snapping its jaws. Of course, it didn`t help that the second to last head tried to get her from behind, luckily, future vision saved the day as she punched the big head to get it out of her way as she charged the second head and knocked it out.

Rhodonite watched the way the big head moved, and studied its facial features, especially the jarring, steel grey eyes. She looked over at the Gem of the creature and contemplated, before finally reaching an idea.

"Steven... I think I recognize this Gem." Rhodonite whispered.

"What? How?" Steven asked, bewildered.

"I think...I`ve even fused with her. Cover me, I`m going to try to help her." Rhodonite sprung into action.

Rhodonite ran over to Garnet, weapon in hand. She tugged at her shoulder, capturing Garnet`s attention.

"What is it, Rhodonite? Can`t you see I`m busy?" Garnet said.

"Just...let me handle this head." Rhodonite said.

"I have it perfectly under control." Garnet replied, punching it away as it came back at her.

"Violence isn`t the answer, just trust me!" Rhodonite shouted.

Garnet nodded and left Rhodonite to face the serpent.

The creature came slowly, its head was up, hood flared, and its forked tongue flickered in and out sinisterly. Its grey eyes, like a mechanical storm, were squinted, and it was ready to pounce on this new prey.

"Howlite!" Rhodonite shouted.

The serpent`s eyes widened and it eased out of its frightening pose. It lowered its head so it made eye contact with Rhodonite, growling softly. Rhodonite quivered a little as she dropped her weapon on the ground.

"Howlite.." Steven whispered.

"It`s me, Sodalite, I may not look like it, but I`m here." Rhodonite grinned.

"Sodalite?" Garnet whisper-asked.

The serpent looked at the Gem, slightly confused and slightly with nostalgia and happiness, it was hard to tell what emotions were stirring in that creature`s head, but whatever it was, it brought back something powerful.

"How about you come back to me, Howlite?" Rhodonite held her hand out, as though Howlite was going to just come out of that form and seize it.

The corruption took over, and just before Rhodonite`s palm touched the serpent`s snout, the snake hissed and tried to snap at Rhodonite. It reared out its head and roared in fury, slithering with its whole body at Rhodonite, dragging its knocked out heads. However, the creature was backing Rhodonite into a corner, and it enjoyed the thought of swallowing the Gem that tried to weaken her. Rhodonite didn`t have enough room to summon her weapon, it was just her, face to face with her old friend, now the jaws of death were smiling at her, hissing, flicking its tongue so that the tip may wipe slobber on her face.

Steven ran to help his fellow Crystal Gem, ramming the snake away with his shield, allowing Rhodonite to escape. Garnet leaped over to the other side of Steven. The head was rammed straight into her, and Garnet raised her gauntlets with finality and cracked the serpent`s skull, causing it to poof into the limbless prism shaped Gem, which Garnet walked over to and bubbled.

* * *

 **The expositions are coming to a halt, and I have some awesome stuff in the works for after the holidays!**

 **Speaking of which, Happy December, month of the Turquoise (And Tanzanite/Iolite)! (I may have a secret geology passion) And I may have a holiday special posted soon... ;) And by soon I mean next week...**

 **I hope you like this sketch of Rhodonite`s first mission, which accidentally brought back some feels from her past...Oops...**


	15. Holiday Special

Rhodonite woke up as her usual groggy self, a trait taken from Sodalite, but she preferred to call it her own. Now that she was getting settled in her new pocket dimension, nights were beginning to be a lot more comfortable, and Rhodonite was taking her place among the Crystal Gems. She ran her hands through her messy mohawk, assumed it looked fine, and walked out to see if the others were awake.

Everyone was wide awake, and they looked to be decorating some sort of plant in the corner of the room. Garnet was holding Steven up in the air as he hung up a red bulb. Amethyst would toss multicolored bulbs and other ornaments to Garnet, who caught them one handed, while Pearl screeched and scolded as each one flew in the air.

"Careful! These things are breakable!" Pearl shouted.

"It`s fine, I got it." Amethyst said nonchalantly.

Steven looked around, only to catch sight of Rhodonite, who was observing them from afar.

"Oh, you`re up! Now you can help us decorate the Christmas tree!" Steven smiled.

"Christmas tree?" Rhodonite asked.

"We didn't get it at first either, it's a human thing. A winter celebration that was originally supposed to be strictly religious, but now it's just a universal thing. Decorating an evergreen tree with lights and ornaments is just one of the many traditions of "Christmas" besides the exchange of gifts, and spending time with loved ones and/or family." Pearl explained.

"Oh..." Rhodonite said quietly.

"Come help us!" Steven shouted, beckoning Rhodonite to come.

Rhodonite was very timid, she walked over slowly, and hung each ornament with care, Pearl hung ornaments with care too, but Rhodonite acted as though the ornaments were going to explode in her hands. After all the ornaments were hung, it was Pearl`s job to hang the lights and garland on the tree.

"Everyone step back." Pearl ordered.

"Why?" Rhodonite asked out of curiosity.

"Well, I have a very special way of doing this quickly and precisely." Pearl said. Pearl spun the tree, causing it to whirl in place quickly. Pearl got on tiptoe and wrapped the tree as it twirled, leaving the lights in a perfect swirl up the tree. Pearl tapped her foot on the switch and the tree lights flickered on. Pearl did the same thing with the garland, and the tree was all ready for the star.

"Garnet, come help me with the star!" Steven said as he ran over to the ornament box.

"Star? Don`t we have enough stuff draped on this poor tree?" Rhodonite was thinking out loud.

"The star is the best part of the tree, it even lights up!" Steven replied.

"It kind of reminds me of Rose...didn't Rose have us all wear stars on our clothes?" Rhodonite asked.

"Yes, and we still wear them. Stars represent many things, they light the way, they represent how bright the future of Earth can be if we protect it, and it reminds us of our promise to fight Homeworld oppression on any star or planet." Pearl smiled at the thought of Rose.

"Be careful Steven, the star is very breakable." Garnet said as she lifted up Steven. Steven put the star on the treetop carefully, then connected a wire on it to the wire that the lights were connected to, causing the star to illuminate.

After putting Steven down, the four Crystal Gems clapped at the beauty of the tree, Rhodonite had no idea what this meant, but she followed along anyway.

* * *

"So...your past lives never celebrated Christmas? I guess you guys were too preoccupied with the war, and you also didn't know Earth culture very well..." Steven said, talking to Rhodonite on the couch.

Rhodonite was lost in thought again.. "Now that I`m hearing it, I have heard of Christmas before.." She said quietly.

"You have? How?" Steven asked excitedly.

"I can`t put my finger on it, maybe if I try to remember..." Rhodonite closed her eyes and tried to think back.

"So I`m guessing you`ll be gone a while.." Steven muttered, knowing that it takes a few minutes for her to remember things.

* * *

DING, DONG, DING, DONG!

The bell tones were coming from a chapel in Beach City, but nothing was happening there. A large crowd of both Gems and humans were waiting anxiously at an aisle at the top of a snowy hill. There was a light downfall of little flurries flying through the air. The sky was a watercolor painting of grey and white, and the sun peeked through the grey occasionally. On the top of the hill, there was a garden archway, decorated with evergreen garland and white roses. The crowd was watching the aisle, and they were restrained from touching the pathway by silver ribbon. Rose was in this crowd, along with every Crystal Gem. Waiting under the arch was a blue Gem in a black tuxedo, Sodalite, along with a priest.

Suddenly, a light, elegant piano tune played as a Gem with skin like cracked porcelain came up the hill. Her head was down, looking at the ground, her face blushing with insecurity as everyone murmured and gasped about how beautiful she looked. Her long, black, crimped hair drug on the floor dramatically, along with the lengthy white train of her gown. This Gem was Howlite, Sodalite`s forever love, dressed in a gown of white silk, her face covered by a veil of silver netting, her hair and dress studded with snowflakes. Garnet was accompanying Howlite as she walked down the aisle, wearing a tuxedo like Sodalite.

Howlite finally reached the arch, and stopped, facing Sodalite, looking at her through the veil. Sodalite smiled and lifted the veil to reveal Howlite`s face, like a cracked porcelain doll, but in a beautiful, timeless way. Howlite`s eyes were closed, more snowflakes landing on her lashes.

"Open those pretty eyes for me." Sodalite whispered.

Howlite`s eyes flashed open to reveal the robotic mix of steel grey and gunmetal blue, but Sodalite didn't mind. The crowd was silent as the priest began to speak. Most of the time Sodalite wasn't listening, just gazing at Howlite love-sickly. It had eventually come time for Sodalite and Howlite to say their vows. After saying them, Sodalite slipped the golden wedding ring on Howlite, and Howlite slipped a ring on Sodalite`s finger too. After the priest pronounced their marriage, he finally said the words Sodalite was waiting for,

"You may kiss the bride."

"Oh, _finally._ I thought you`d _never_ get to it." Sodalite said in exasperation.

Howlite lightly giggled before Sodalite pulled her in for a kiss. Their lips didn't crash into each other or anything like that, it was just smooth, lips touching lips like a casual bedtime smooch. Both Sodalite and Howlite closed their eyes when kissing, and after a while, the two finally let go and turned to face the crowd, hand in hand. The people watching clapped and cheered, even Garnet, who didn't agree with the whole thing at first.

That night, at a fancy hall in Beach City, everyone, Gems and all, feasted and celebrated the occasion. Lights and ornaments were already hung for Christmas, for it was Christmas Eve night. Stockings were hung on the mantle, and a roaring fire flickered underneath. A glowing evergreen tree was not too far from the mantle. Sodalite and Howlite were sitting by the fire, Sodalite braiding Howlite`s hair as Howlite studied her ring and how it glimmered in the firelight.

"Death do us part...let`s hope that isn't soon." Howlite said quietly.

"Don`t say that, you and me, we`re survivors. If anyone tries to get to you, I`ll have their head." Sodalite replied, her eyes burning with enduring love.

"Thanks Soda. You know, the humans are not as primitive as I thought. At least they have the ability to love, and instead of looking down on it, they celebrate it with beautiful ceremonies." Howlite smiled.

"Yeah, so I guess we`re the primitive ones, then. We may have technology and advancements, but they have love." Sodalite looked up to the ceiling, thinking of Homeworld.

Howlite and Sodalite had wine glasses on the floor next to them. Howlite picked up her glass and raised it. "To love."

Sodalite smiled and raised her glass. "To love."

* * *

Rhodonite`s eyes flashed open, much to Steven`s surprise.

"That was actually quicker than usual." Steven said perkily.

"Howlite." Rhodonite whispered breathlessly.

"What? You mean that snake we fought?" Steven asked.

"When is Christmas Eve?" Rhodonite asked quietly.

"Uh, two days from now. We kind of procrastinated on the decorating this year." Steven smiled.

"I know what Christmas is now." Rhodonite was still speaking in that breathy sort of whisper, the kind of tone she spoke in after realizing something important.

"What is it to you?" Steven asked.

"It`s my anniversary." Rhodonite whispered, covering her mouth.

"Your anniversary? Gems got married during the war?" Steven asked, his eyes lighting up at the thought of hearing more Gem history.

"We were the only ones." Rhodonite said.

"I should ask Garnet if Ruby and Sapphire can get married, I`ll be right back!" Steven jumped off the couch and ran off into the temple.

Rhodonite sighed and rested her chin on her palm, daydreaming once more about the wedding.

* * *

 **One day later...**

Rhodonite could hear Steven groaning outside in the living room, he was complaining about how he had to wait one more agonizing day until Christmas morning. Rhodonite could understand, the presents under the tree were pretty tempting. Rhodonite didn't want to get up, she was feeling rather depressed, more depressed than usual, mourning the corruption of Howlite.

She sighed and just stared into the endless blackness of her pocket dimension, until reaching an epiphany.

"Maybe if I go see Howlite than I`ll feel better." Rhodonite got up and opened a portal to Garnet`s dimension, where all the bubbles were kept. Luckily, Garnet wasn`t in the room at the time, so Rhodonite jumped into the portal, falling on her face with a thud.

"I could've done that with a lot more grace." Rhodonite muttered as she stood up and dusted herself off. She looked around the room, trying to find Howlite`s prism. It eventually caught her eye, and using her shapeshifting powers, which she was able to master, she stretched her legs to the bubble, seized it, and took it back up to her dimension.

After closing the portal, Rhodonite imagined a couch for her to sit on, and it appeared, she sat on the couch and let go of the bubble. The bubble hovered so that it met her eyes.

"Happy Anniversary, I`m sorry I didn't remember it at first. You have to understand, I can`t remember anything these days. I wouldn't even know who you are, who I am, if I hadn't come so close to what you are today. I guess corruption has benefits..." Rhodonite half chuckled, half sighed. "I wish you were here. Things would be different if you were. It would make transitioning a lot easier. I never knew Garnet or Pearl as well as I did you, and sometimes I think they don`t accept me. Well, according to Steven, I`m not the only one. Steven told me that he doesn't fit in either, and he bears the Gem of Rose Quartz." Rhodonite tightened the grip of the couch cushions as she continued to talk to the bubble. "That`s all that`s happening with me...thanks for listening, I wish you were here..." Tears began to well in her eyes. "I love you." Rhodonite pushed the bubble away, and it drifted into her pocket dimension, waiting for the next time Rhodonite needed her. Meanwhile, Rhodonite allowed a few tears to fall...

Little did she know, she was being watched by Garnet as Steven through a hole in her pocket dimension. Garnet and Steven looked at each other with looks of pity for Rhodonite, then smiled as to that they both got an idea, and closed the hole in the pocket dimension. Two minutes later, Garnet invited Rhodonite to a joyful snowball fight outside, where Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Steven, Connie, Greg, Peridot, and Rhodonite played the day away. After the snowball fight, Steven was way too exhausted to even stay up and count the hours away...

* * *

Rhodonite had to get up early and wait for Steven with the rest of the Gems. It was hard, getting used to becoming a parent, which meant holding back swears and trying hard not to express annoyance. However, Rhodonite got up anyway and sluggishly trudged into the living room. The six Gems waited by the Christmas tree, Pearl holding a camera anxiously, and all of them except Rhodonite were wearing Christmas sweaters.

Steven sprung up out of bed suddenly, and barreled down the stairs quickly in his "banana pajamas". Before Steven even touched the gifts, Pearl took about a million family pictures, where Rhodonite had to face the agony of doing the usual fake, toothy, picture smile. Rhodonite hated those kind of smiles, ever since she emerged, she had insecurity about her fang-like teeth, they made her look like a monster, which she was about 75% convinced she wasn't that.

Steven tore into his presents, throwing wrapping paper all over the floor ravenously whilst Pearl frenetically picked it all up. Rhodonite was dozed off as usual, she had sat on the floor with the rest of the Gems as they exchanged gifts, but it wasn't very interesting, so Rhodonite`s mind just saw it as time to drift. Of course, Rhodonite didn't even know what everyone got, and to be completely honest, she didn't care. Garnet tapped her on the shoulder, waking her up, she blinked back to life and looked around,

"What?" Rhodonite asked.

"Don`t think we forgot about you!" Steven shouted.

"Yeah, you`re one of us now!" Amethyst smiled.

"Steven and I were in the Kindergarten together, when we found these." Garnet said, handing Rhodonite a small gift box.

Rhodonite blushed and took the box out of Garnet`s hands. She stared at it for a second, wondering what could possibly be inside, before opening the box...

It was a necklace, the chain was of pristine gold, and dangling from the chain were two, slightly faded and dirty gold rings. Rhodonite recognized them as her and Howlite`s wedding rings, since they were actual material rings, and not part of their holographic masses, they must`ve fallen off when they were shattered and/or poofed. Rhodonite couldn't help but smile a real, toothy smile as she unclasped the chain, put on the necklace, and clasped it back again. She liked the necklace, it added a special touch to her outfit, and the rings hung just below her Gem.

"Thank you." Rhodonite smiled and looked up at the Gems sitting in front of her, she was also feeling the texture of the rings on the necklace as she was doing this.

"I knew you`d like it." Garnet grinned.

"Of course _you_ did!" Pearl said.

The group of Gems giggled before leaving Steven to his playtime. Greg even came over to help make the Christmas dinner, and the seven of them partied and celebrated all night. Even Rhodonite, who had decided that it was best to celebrate the holiday season and the life Sodalite and Howlite shared rather than mope about how it was cut short, and perhaps, Howlite wanted it to be that way too...

* * *

 **We celebrate them...**

 **Happy Holidays from AmethystGalaxy999 and the gang!**

 **I was kind of upset that we couldn't have a Steven Universe Christmas special, so I just added what was needed. A little sneak peek of what's to come...big things are happening very very soon! Here is a little blurb...**

 _ **Rhodonite has been a strange anomaly since she first emerged, but when Homeworld spies inform the Great Diamond Authority of Rhodonite's existence, Rhodonite is in for an intergalactic adventure of a lifetime, with torturous experiments, edge of your seat battles, memorable and surprising new characters, and with the help of a shocking new ally, Rhodonite rallies the oppressed people of Homeworld to stand up, become modern day Crystal Gems, and take down the villainous Great Diamond Authority from the inside...**_

 **Oh, and by the way, a little look into how the dork behind the writing is doing...**

 **I had a Christmas concert tonight, I play bass clarinet, sing in the choir, and play drums in the percussion ensemble! I did okay haha but I was soooo nervous, I have a little bit of stage fright. Oh well, I just hope everyone's holidays go well!**


	16. Discovery

**Three Weeks Later...**

All the Crystal Gems had to get up early to work on the drill again. The only people complaining were Steven and Rhodonite, not because they didn't want to help, but because they had to leave the peaceful slumber they were encased in. Rhodonite was actually having a good dream, or memory, of Sodalite and Howlite. Steven was just plain tired.

By this time, it was sunrise, and the six of them had spent three hours working on it already. Peridot and Pearl had already gotten through two arguments, Garnet had received three negative comments about how her being fused made Peridot uncomfortable (All comments from Peridot), and Amethyst, Steven, and Peridot would crack jokes while working. Rhodonite had remembered her mechanic aptitude from her past life as Sodalite, so she was working on fixing some of the controls in the cockpit, while Pearl worked on the engine with some help from Peridot, Garnet was doing the heavy lifting, and Amethyst and Steven were working on Lord knows what, Rhodonite was too focused on what she was doing to know that part.

In an hour's time, Rhodonite was finished with the controls, and she really had nothing to do. At least, not until Peridot noticed that they had run out of parts.

"Hey, weird...fusion thing! Do you mind going to the Kindergarten and getting some more parts, yeah, that'd be great." Peridot said to Rhodonite as she was walking by.

"Oh, must you poke fun at everyone?" Pearl shouted in annoyance.

"Oh whatever, she'll walk it off." Peridot scoffed, she looked at Rhodonite, who was still standing there watching. "Well, get on it! You know where it is!" Peridot shouted, waving her hand, shooing her away. After Rhodonite left to go to the Kindergarten, Pearl gave Peridot a death glare, and then they kept trying to work with the lack of parts. For the most part, they were sitting ducks while Rhodonite was gone.

* * *

Rhodonite had to walk all the way to the Kindergarten, which wasn't too hard since she was already in the countryside, meaning that she wouldn't have to cross any humans. She had a little bit of spring in her step, for some reason, working on the drill with the other Gems made her feel happier. It could've been the contact with other Gems, or the acceptance that she was receiving from the Gems (For the most part, Peridot needed a little more time.). She kind of hummed while walking, she looked around at the beautiful country, and could feel the ring necklace she was wearing bounce off her chest with every step.

Rhodonite finally reached the Kindergarten, and it was its same old dark dreary self. She was able to navigate the Kindergarten well now, and it brought back plenty of powerful memories, from Operation Orosu to when she first emerged in agony. She had a decent idea of what parts to look for, so she started to wander the Kindergarten, looking for an injector or some sort of machine that still had parts intact.

While she was doing this, she was being watched by a small camera in the cliff wall. This camera was installed shortly after the war to ensure that all Crystal Gems were dead and that all Kindergarten Gems were found. However, the camera had been dormant for thousands of years...until some technicians on Homeworld fixed the transmission a few days ago.

* * *

"There, now I just have to sit and wait." A pale green and dark purple Gem said as the feedback became clear on her screen.

There were several Gems similar to that one in a small room full of computers and other technology. They all looked the same, really tall and thin, hourglass shapes, wearing skin tight bodysuits that matched their color palettes, which were extremely diverse, they wore high heels that clicked and clacked on the glassy floors with every step. They had short, straight A-line cuts and inverted triangle face shapes that had an overabundance of colorful eye makeup and lipstick to match their color palette. All of their Gems were located on their shoulders. These Gems were called Fluorites, and they worked on communications, security, and they were also technicians and software engineers along with chemists.

The Fluorite working on the Kindergarten camera had pale green skin, purple hair with an even green stripe about halfway down the length of her locks. Her body suit was dark purple with hints of light green and pale lavender, along with her heels. Her dark purple, glittery eye shadow and lipstick contrasted her skin, and her eyes were a bright, mauve.

The camera feed was boring at first, and the Fluorite almost fell asleep watching it, before seeing Rhodonite come into view on the screen.

The Fluorite almost spat out her drink, a mix of caffeine, and many other weird chemicals that the Gem chemists downstairs had created for pleasure. The Fluorite watched the screen intently, watching Rhodonite pick up parts from a nearby injector, oblivious to the camera. The Fluorite flicked a switch, causing the camera to zoom in on Rhodonite and try to identify what kind of Gem she was. The computer showing the feedback let out a loud error noise, ERGH! The computer didn't recognize what Rhodonite was, it didn't match any of the Gems recorded in the Homeworld database. Fluorite decided to zoom in further, particularly to the Gem of Rhodonite, where she noticed the detail of the shards stuck together.

Panicked, she transferred the feed to a holographic screen that levitated from a sleeve on her arm, then speed-walked to the Diamond Throne Room. This kind of discovery was meant to be known at the highest level of authority. Her heels clopping on the hall floors echoed through the corridors, she walked with outstanding posture, neck and back straight, shoulders back, using her full stride in every step. She stopped at the door to the throne room and got scanned at the door, a procedure for all unexpected visitors. She pushed the doors open to reveal the grand, circular throne room, where three pedestals with three thrones towered in the middle. The back wall was one big window, with a view of the night sky and an outlook on the city below the palace. It was the kind of window people could look out, but people could not look in. The Diamonds sat on their thrones, waiting for the Fluorite to say something. Yellow Diamond stared down coldly at Fluorite, tapping her long fingernails on the armrest of her throne.

"Your Majesties?" Fluorite asked, kneeling down and looking up at the three Diamonds.

"Yes, speak," Yellow said loudly, but bitterly.

"We have a situation...involving our forced fusion experiments," Fluorite said, pulling up the Kindergarten feed on her arm, revealing Rhodonite picking up Kindergarten parts whilst humming cheerfully.

Yellow Diamond's eyes widened. "Get her, and bring her here at once," She ordered.

"Yes, my lords." The Fluorite bowed and exited the room quickly...

* * *

 **Oooooh...spoopy...**

 **Part of me feels like I'm hurrying this, but I don't really have a lot of exposition to get through at this point so I'm thinking, how about I add the spice while the chicken is cooking! I mean, that's what I do when I cook...**

 **The holidays are inching closer...aaaand it still hasn't snowed where I live.**

 **Way to get in the spirit Mother Nature.**

 **Well, by the next chapter, we'll be whisked off to Homeworld, who's excited? I sure am!**


	17. Eclipse

That night, Homeworld had sent a small ship with a Ruby in it to go and retrieve Rhodonite. The Diamonds had not heard from the last ship that went to Earth, and advised the Ruby to be careful and not draw attention. The Ruby did just that, the small ship landed miles from shore, then it powered quietly across the water before stopping at the shore. Everyone was busy in their rooms, and Steven was fast asleep, so the Ruby got in and out with ease. She even had the technology to pry open Rhodonite's pocket dimension, where she picked up the sleeping Rhodonite and carried her out while she snored and squirmed in her arms.

"This was easier than I thought." The Ruby said as she loaded Rhodonite into her ship. And just like that, Rhodonite was blasted off to Homeworld...

* * *

Rhodonite`s eyes flickered open, she groaned for a few seconds while she stretched before realizing that she was in a completely different place. She wasn't sure if it was a dream, or something her pocket dimension did. Rhodonite had woken up in a circular bed with a mattress that seemed to sink with her weight, but in a luxurious kind of way. Silver covers that seemed to be made of Earth silk were draped over her body, and the pillows in the bed were dark blue silk with golden embroidery that were as soft and squishy as the mattress. She continued to look around the room, it was quite large..the floors were a black marble with a mandala just in front of the bed showing all the planets and constellations in a chart slowing their alignments. There were navy blue curtains behind the bed, and Rhodonite quickly pulled them open to reveal a window, with a view of a totally different sky, a sky with three bright suns that were sometimes blocked by passing space ships whirring by.

"I am not in my pocket dimension." Rhodonite whispered breathlessly.

Rhodonite thought of getting up, but she had noticed that underneath the covers, she had lost her clothes. It was confusing, since clothing is a part of her Gem, she controls it, but no matter how hard she tried, Rhodonite couldn`t get clothes to project onto her.

The tall, double doors with beautiful carvings and pictures on it creaked open. Rhodonite frenetically pulled the covers over her body, leaving only her head and half of her neck to show, she let out a slight whimper before sighing in relief as three Pearls danced into the room, humming and leaping across the floor. Rhodonite was still shaking under the covers, her eyes wide and fearful. The Pearls surrounded the bed, standing with perfect posture, waiting for something, staring straight into her eyes.

"Uuuum...are you guys..? You shouldn't be in here." Rhodonite stammered before a fourth Pearl grand jeted across the room, a long black dress waving and flickering like a flag in the hanger she was holding.

"It`s okay, just step out of the covers, and we`ll dress you." The fourth Pearl said as she stood over Rhodonite at the foot of the bed.

"I can dress myself..I don`t need...strangers." Rhodonite said quietly, the whole situation was rather awkward, and maybe a little bit creepy.

"Oh, we aren't meant to be strangers, just servants. It is our duty to get you ready to meet the Great Diamond Authority, you should consider this a great honor." The fourth Pearl replied, the other Pearls nodded in agreement, some even whispering "Great honor..", almost like they were echoes of the fourth Pearl's voice.

"The Great Diamond Authority? Wait a minute..." Rhodonite thought for a bit before piecing the puzzle together. "I`m on Homeworld aren't I?! What do you want from me, to kill me, torture me, interrogate me, I`m not falling for your sick games, release me, or else!" Rhodonite began to get defensive, but she knew that she couldn't do anything from the situation she was in.

"Oh no, dear! You`ve got it all wrong, the Diamonds are good leaders, they protect us, and we are the most advanced planet in both the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies!" The third Pearl calmed Rhodonite down, patting her shoulder.

"Now, we better hurry, no more dawdling. Let`s get you up." The fourth Pearl said, tearing off the covers. Rhodonite clutched to the dress before the Pearls could see anything.

"Put that on, and if it is the wrong size, we`ll fit it." The second Pearl added.

Rhodonite just sat there, frozen, before saying. "Can you guys maybe...not look at me?" She asked.

"Your wish is our command." The Pearls turned away from Rhodonite, allowing her to dress.

The dress was more comfortable than Rhodonite had assumed. It was long, black, and tight. The bottom of the skirt of the dress flared out a bit to allow walking room, and the black, silk-like cloth billowed out in front of her feet. The dress highlighted every curve, every feature of her figure, which wasn't all that bad, just a little too thin. Trailing behind her was a long cape of sheer gossamer. The dress`s halter neckline was a little bit big, so it sagged often, much to Rhodonite`s discomfort. The black contrasted with her two toned blue and pink skin, and it seemed a little too sophisticated for her messy mohawk, but she decided to live with and allow the Pearls to tighten the neckline before going to see the Diamonds.

"I need you guys to help me with the neckline, it`s a little too big." Rhodonite said timidly.

The Pearls turned around in unison, still in the perfect, almost soldier-like, pose. One glance of Rhodonite in the gown was enough to break them out of their programming, because the Pearls ran excitedly to Rhodonite with sewing supplies and began to fuss over her.

"You look beautiful, darling!" One Pearl fawned over her.

"Sorry for the inaccurate sizing on the halter, we assumed you would be bigger for a fusion." Another Pearl apologized as she began to tighten the neckline.

Another Pearl circled around back and tied two threads into the back of the dress, right by the zipper. Rhodonite felt the bodice of the dress tauten, like it wasn't tight enough..eventually Rhodonite felt like the fabric was going smash her stomach so deep that it touched her spine.

"Does it have to be so tight?" Rhodonite choked.

"Of course, the Diamonds have a very special standard for beauty, and we mustn't ignore it, you`re a beautiful Gem, but the Diamonds want perfection." The Pearl tightening the bodice said.

"I thought perfection was whatever is comfortable for you?" Rhodonite stated.

The Pearl smiled and rolled her eyes. "What a ludicrous idea..."

After getting finished, the Pearls oo-ed and ah-ed over Rhodonite while they walked briskly out of the room and down the hallway to the throne room. Rhodonite had gotten tired of saying "Thank you." repeatedly, so she just tuned out the Pearls and tried to comprehend her surroundings, which took absolute quiet for Rhodonite to do. Of course, the Pearls tugging on her arms and clinging to her and occasionally reaching to touch and squeeze her was not helping.

"Aren't you supposed to focus on the task at hand? Leading me to the throne room?" Rhodonite asked.

Rhodonite could hear scattered "Oh, right"s from the Pearls before they broke into an argument about who was going to lead her, eventually, a Pearl stepped up and smiled, saying, "Right this way."

* * *

Finally, Rhodonite and the Pearls reached another set of decorated double doors, Rhodonite reached for the doorknob before getting her hand slapped by the lead Pearl.

"Allow me." The Pearl whispered as she pushed open the door...

Rhodonite had a hard time taking it all in at first glance, but the room was huge. It was a circular throne room with mosaic floors. There was a mandala on the floor similar to the one in her room, except it showed all the stars and planets revolving around a symbol composing of three triangles, yellow, blue, and white. Rhodonite looked up to see three tall pedestals of black marble, in the center was a thin yellow Gem wearing what looked to be wearing a black and olive bodycon dress with a matching blazer. Her shoulders were large and pointed, and her yellow hair was in a tight bob with two spiked tips. The Gem looked down at Rhodonite as though she could care less about what was going on, even though she was really intrigued inside, her bright golden eyes cold and robotic. Rhodonite could see the glowing yellow Gem on her chest, and Yellow Diamond, as Rhodonite was just remembering her name, was sitting cross-legged on a grand, golden throne with the Gems of what was supposedly previous victims or prisoners of hers.

To the right of Yellow was a throne of fused human and animal bones, draped over the back and seat of the throne was a white and black spotted animal skin, it could`ve been an Earth animal or one from a distant planet, but Rhodonite was more focused on the Gem sitting on it. This Gem looked more like a goddess, Yellow looked like a business woman in her dress and blazer, but the White Diamond was wearing a beautiful, long white dress. She could see that this dress had a long, dramatic train. Everything about White Diamond was white, her long, lush hair, her alabaster skin, pale, silver, icy eyes, shiny white teeth, and the star-like Gem on her chest. White Diamond looked interested in Rhodonite, but not in a way that was particularly reassuring, more like the kind a psycho makes before killing its victim, that cruel, sinister smile.

To the far left in a stone throne with vines and flowers creeping around it was something Rhodonite would not have expected, seeing the other two. The Blue Diamond was shorter, and had more of an "upside-down triangle" body type, which was a surprise since her sisters had "hourglass" bodies. She looked a lot more defined and muscular than her sisters, and with all of those things in mind, Rhodonite was still not as intimidated by her. Blue Diamond was leaning forward in her seat, straining to look at Rhodonite. She had a sense of wonder and awe in her eyes, and she had a light warm smile on her face. Her dark blue hair, darker than her skin, was kept in a loose bun, similar to a geisha, she had a kimono like one too. It was ice blue with a white obi.

It was silent for a while, Rhodonite guessed there was nothing that anyone had to say to each other, but Rhodonite broke the silence by accidentally blabbing her thoughts.

"How do you guys even get down from there?" She asked.

Blue Diamond giggled, and the other two Diamonds still had poker faces.

"You must be the fusion." Yellow Diamond said brusquely and coldly.

"No, you dragged me in here for no reason." Rhodonite replied sarcastically.

"Don`t get feisty with me, earthling. I think it's best to have us as your ally." Yellow Diamond cocked an eyebrow.

"Enough with the dramatic formalities, what do you want from me?" Rhodonite snapped, only Blue Diamond showed the slightest bit of surprise.

"Strong willed, that could be a blessing or a curse." White Diamond whispered in fascination."The question is, which one is it, and for whom?"

"Oh, nothing really. We are just very interested in you, since you are the first humanoid version of the artificial fusion prototypes. We just thought that would be enough to bring you here, meet you, get you off that awful planet, Earth." Yellow said.

"Okay, you have me here...Here I am, standing in front of you, you have met me, can I leave now? Maybe go back to sleep, get out of this constricting dress, or better, go back home?" Rhodonite snapped.

"Oh no, we aren't done with you yet." White Diamond said. "You're too rare to just let go. We're going to keep you here, preserve you."

"So you're just going to trap me here like some endangered animal?" Rhodonite asked, her corrupted instincts beginning to teem through her body. The venom of her inner animal usually came out during moments of anger.

Suddenly, a bunch of steps levitated out of the floor, creating a staircase for White Diamond to walk down gracefully, her dress billowing behind her.

"So that`s how they get down." Rhodonite whispered to herself.

White Diamond snapped her fingers, and the Pearls walked out of the room in a single-file line, leaving Rhodonite in the center of the room alone. Once White Diamond got to the bottom of the stairs, the steps disappeared back into the floor. She slowly walked toward Rhodonite and stopped when she got uncomfortably close to her. White Diamond was significantly taller than Rhodonite, and Rhodonite`s body was completely covered by her shadow. White looked down, her icy white eyes staring into Rhodonite`s. Her smooth ivory hands clutched Rhodonite`s chin and lifted her head up so that their faces might be closer.

"Come with me." She whispered, seized Rhodonite`s hand and led her out of the throne room.

* * *

 **Okay so imagine waking up in a strange room naked. Then add a bunch of weird alien women.**

 **Yeah...awkward.**

 **So how is everyone's first impression of Homeworld? Of course, first impressions _always_ tell you what its going to be like, right? **

**(WRONG)**


	18. Philosophical Gardens

White Diamond had let go of Rhodonite`s hand, and for some reason, Rhodonite didn't turn tail and run. She wanted to, but she was afraid that the psycho who seized her hand and dragged her through the hallways was going to kill her if she did. The halls looked kind of boring, the floors were an ivory color and it felt was she was walking on a smooth, glassy surface. The walls were also white with green piping snaking its way through the long halls. Rhodonite was getting really sick of the dress she was wearing, and she wanted to know what Homeworld did to her Gem to stop it from projecting clothes, so she walked up beside White Diamond and asked.

"What did you do to my Gem anyway?" Rhodonite asked.

"What do you mean?" White Diamond played dumb with her sultry, innocent-sounding voice that was still cold and hard.

"I woke up naked this morning and couldn't project my clothes. Then your invasive Pearls waltz in and fawn over me. I haven't even been here a whole day and you have already toyed with me." Rhodonite said, raising her voice in an angry tone.

"Calm down, we just didn't want someone walking around with stars projected on their clothes, very threatening, and even offensive to some. From now on, you will wear our clothes." White Diamond replied.

"What if I decide not to?" Rhodonite asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"We`ll get to that later, for now, I thought maybe we could stroll through my gardens and chat, knowing you`ll be staying with us for a while." White Diamond smiled.

Rhodonite stayed quiet, she was too busy looking for possible escape routes. The two Gems stopped at a pair of white double doors, which slid open automatically and Rhodonite stepped into what looked to be a real jungle in among a concrete jungle. It was a very large pavilion, and she noticed that the whole thing was sealed by a bubble that kept out outside noise and elements. The ground was actually dirt, and the pavilion was full of lush, green plants, vibrantly colored flowers, and delicious looking berry and fruit trees. The place was teeming with life, there were birds cawing, animals chattering and roaring and grunting to each other, even a small river with a large scale waterfall ran through.

"Allow me to show you around." White Diamond said as she seized Rhodonite`s hand and began to walk her through a winding trail through the lush forest. Many of these animals and plants weren't from Earth, they looked a lot weirder, more interesting and beautiful than Earth animals in some cases.

"Where did you get these?" Rhodonite asked in awe.

"I happen to have salvaged some of the native beasts of planets that are no longer present. These animals come from all over the universe, and when their home is threatened, I, or my sister Blue, find it in our hearts to take a few animals in. I created this pavilion for myself and the animals originally, but I rarely come in here anymore. I was young and naive to the things we must take for the greater good, so now only my sister dwells here, doing what the Pearls should be doing." White Diamond explained.

"We have..differing ideas on what the greater good is..." Rhodonite said quietly.

"I know we do, and I want that to change. Almost everything has a little bit of philosophy tied into it, and I see that. I have it all figured out, the greater good is what is better for the people, correct? We have to pursue that good, no matter how much hurt it causes, because in the end we will come out stronger." White Diamond replied.

"Unless you are wrong, then it makes the people weaker," Rhodonite added.

"Smart child, but there is no wrong, wrong is an opinion, just like philosophy. I have learned that right and wrong don't exist, that those words fade with philosophy and rot with your Gem. You don't like it now, but all this hurt will make all gemkind improve, we are the conveyors of the future, and by the time my sisters and I are done, we could wipe your Earth armies out with stronger, smarter bodies and weapons." White Diamond said.

"Who said I wanted war?" Rhodonite asked.

The two Gems were coming upon a clearing in the forest, the sun radiated on White`s skin and clothing to make her look like an angel and Rhodonite look like a psycho under restraint, especially with her eye twitching with corruption. Two large four-legged sauropods were butting heads and wrestling with each other in the clearing, grunting, growling, and stomping. The sauropods looked like Pachyrhinosauruses, with massive plates on their head and thick noses.

"I know people, if they don't agree with something, they fight for it. It's only a matter of time before we have a second Great Gem War. I used to hate war, it depressed me, it hurt me and shattered my friends. Until I realized that death and war are necessary, if we don't have war, then how will our opinionated minds know what is right? How will we know who is the dominant one? Without a dominant side to strive for, how does anyone have any direction to follow or philosophies to stand on in this game called life?" White Diamond explained. "Fighting is nature, the stronger ones survive, and weaker ones dread and wish for peace, and they die. It's how the species pushes forward and gets stronger, by getting rid of the weaker variables."

At that moment, one of the beasts that were fighting threw the opposing one, causing it to fall to the ground and not be able to get up. Rhodonite could see the fear in its eyes as it whimpered and grunted in pain. The winning beast stood proudly over it, and instead of granting it mercy and life, it ended it by stepping on and cracking its skull. The sauropod roared in triumph, then stomped off into the trees.

"The sooner you accept it, the better." White Diamond turned to Rhodonite.

* * *

White Diamond`s words genuinely creeped Rhodonite out, and after White Diamond left Rhodonite to go deal with something else, she wandered the gardens and let her mind drift as she observed the beautiful flora and fauna. Rhodonite didn't like White Diamond`s opinions, she usually listens and respects everyone's opinions, but something about White Diamond`s just felt...wrong. Rhodonite`s entire outlook on life was completely scrambled, I mean, who questions key things like right and wrong? What was right and wrong was always Rhodonite`s base to stand on, and all this questioning was driving her mind to the brink of madness... So she decided to forget about White Diamond for now and admire the pavilion.

ROAR! A giant wolf suddenly leaped out of the bushes as Rhodonite was walking down the forest trail and tackled her. Rhodonite let out a startled scream as the wolf pinned her down. Rhodonite kept her head and summoned her tomahawk, not wanting to hurt the animal, she held its gnashing teeth away from her neck by pushing the beast back with the handle of her tomahawk. The wolf was a reddish color with streaks of white and pink in its fur. It was about the size of a horse, with long bushy hair, especially along the neck and upper back. Its claws were long and they were pressing into Rhodonite`s skin deeper and deeper as she struggled to hold back the animal with her tomahawk.

Abruptly, another giant wolf of the same species leaped out of nowhere and knocked the red wolf off of Rhodonite, giving her a chance to get up. The wolf who helped her had light blue fur with streaks of dark blue and white. Unlike the red wolf, Rhodonite could see a dark blue Gem on its heaving chest. The wolf morphed back to a girl Rhodonite immediately recognized as Blue Diamond, except her hair was down and bushy, and she was wearing navy blue tight shorts and what looked to be an ice blue tank top. The wolf growled and then stopped as it realized that it was Blue Diamond. She rose up and stroked the wolf`s snout until it calmed down.

"It`s okay, she`s a friend, calm down." Blue Diamond whispered.

Rhodonite dusted herself off. "I was not expecting that."

"No one does. I wasn't expecting you either, most Gems don't like the gardens, too dirty and primitive." Blue Diamond kept stroking the wolf.

"Well, I`m from Earth, so I`m used to it." Rhodonite chuckled.

Blue Diamond and Rhodonite giggled nervously and stared for a few seconds before Rhodonite said "Thanks for saving me."

"Well, I wouldn't want you to get hurt." Blue Diamond lightly smiled. "Let me guess, White was a little...intense?"

"How did you know?" Rhodonite asked.

"Oh! Imagine living with her! She spent years meditating, going in and out of her Gem, she rarely talked to me, but yet I was never able to go outside and make some real friends. All studies, and once we got into office, Yellow started bringing people in and I befriended them, only to have them dead or shipped off to Earth two days later." Blue Diamond explained. "White used to be a lot nicer, she had the heart to save all these animals, but she changed really quick and became close friends with Yellow, leaving me with the animals. It doesn't help that I am a defected diamond, I just want to be accepted you know?"

"I can understand that." Rhodonite sighed.

"Let`s go to the river and talk." Blue Diamond sent the wolf off back into the woods and beckoned Rhodonite to follow her away from the path. Rhodonite stumbled through the forest, tripping on roots and leaves, whilst Blue Diamond walked as though she knew the jungle like the back of her hand. They finally reached the river, and Blue Diamond sat on the bank, Rhodonite sat beside her.

"You're the forced fusion, right?" Blue Diamond asked.

"Yes," Rhodonite replied.

"I wasn't sure about that idea, I thought it was cruel and disrespectful, bringing back the dead and agonizing them, no offense, you seem fine." Blue Diamond said.

"I`m not fine. At least, not inside. I wanted to be shattered again for a long time, and I`ve faced corruption and my own past, I've faced nonacceptance. That's too many things I've had to ordeal, and I don't want anyone to go through what I did." Rhodonite replied, staring deep into the flowing teal water.

"I wouldn't want that to happen to anyone either." Blue Diamond said quietly.

"For the record, I think you are better than your sisters." Rhodonite smiled.

"Really? But I`m defective, worthless, too weak to be a leader." Blue Diamond frowned in self-doubt.

"Hey, I am too. I was too soft to even take on a corrupted Gem!" Rhodonite replied.

"Same here! No matter how hard I try, I just can't bring myself to hurt anything!" Blue Diamond shouted.

"And that is totally okay." Rhodonite grinned.

Blue Diamond beamed back. "I guess we'll be defective together."

* * *

 **She's a Homeworld Beauty... and? A Homeworld Psycho?**

 **Here I am with my Fall Out Boy reference...**

 **I also thought that Rhodonite and Blue would be good friendssss because they find solace in being good in a horrible world.**

 **ANNOUNCEMENT: I would put this on my profile but I know nobody looks there, I mean, I have had a poll up there for almost a month and no results. I HAVE A DEVIANTART ACCOUNT NOW! I'm not exactly an artist, I'm still a writer. I will be posting fanfiction on there, but not the whole thing like on here, just little snippets and stuff, as well as original pieces. Craving a little more me? Go check out DeviantArt and you might just find it!**

 **Reviews are encouraged, please tell me what you think!**


	19. Fanning the Flames

A Pearl woke up Rhodonite early, and this time, she wasn't forced into a long, billowing dress, instead, she was put in something like a black karategi. The Pearl refused to tell Rhodonite what they were doing, except that White and Yellow Diamond wanted to see her. She was lead to the gardens, surprisingly, and she was told to meet Yellow and White Diamond in the same clearing where Rhodonite saw the two sauropods fight. White was waiting in the clearing, she was wearing a long dress, but not as long as it usually was, about half the train size than her usual dress. Yellow Diamond was sitting on a rock holding a clipboard, obviously disgusted by the filth of the place, trying to shoo off birds and small primates that kept picking on her. She also had a holographic screen floating around her, and she tapped and fiddled with it occasionally.

White Diamond had that angelic look again, the sun beaming down on her white dress, skin and hair, making her have a strange radiance. She was fanning herself with two white fans with the design of a cherry blossom branch on both of them.

"Okay, that isn't weird at all...What do you want me for?" Rhodonite asked.

White Diamond stopped in her slow pacing across the clearing and stopped fanning herself. "Come closer..." She said.

Rhodonite stepped into the clearing reluctantly, getting closer and closer to White Diamond, Yellow watched the two intently.

"Fight me," White said calmly, closing her eyes.

"What?" Rhodonite asked.

"Do it," White ordered.

"If you say so..." Rhodonite mumbled as she quickly summoned her tomahawk and went for a downward strike to White's chest. White quickly opened her fans with a dramatic flapping noise and blocked the blade of Rhodonite's tomahawk. Rhodonite was stunned but focused on the task at hand. She noticed that the branch designs on White's fans quickly morphed into a snarling dragon, like the ink on the white washed away, then repainted into something else.

Suddenly, White disappeared from where she was standing, causing Rhodonite to almost fall over as her blade came down on thin air. She was confused, looking around frantically before getting grabbed and feeling the blade on White Diamond's seemingly metal fans press against her neck. White leaned over and whispered in Rhodonite's ear:

"You weakling, you fell right into my trap."

White Diamond and her fans disappeared from behind Rhodonite and appeared again out in front of her.

"What? How did you-" Rhodonite was discombobulated by the whole thing.

"It doesn't matter how. What matters is how well you do against me." White Diamond said.

"But you are like, a goddess, how am I supposed to-" Rhodonite began before White interrupted her.

"Anyone can be a deity if they see themselves as one," White replied. "Again."

Rhodonite went for a horizontal swipe to try and slash White's abdomen, but White leaped and flipped over Rhodonite's head, dodging the blow. Rhodonite turned around to see that White landed with cat-like agility, but backward, her arms spread out like wings. Rhodonite saw it as a chance and tried to stab her in the back, but White's arms quickly bent behind her back and the fans blocked the blow once again.

White Diamond turned her head slightly to look at Rhodonite. "Nice try, but it takes more than that to get me." White held Rhodonite's blade there with one fan, but took her other arm away. She turned around abruptly, but moved a considerable distance so that Rhodonite would miss her body completely, and she used her other arm to whack Rhodonite in the face with the closed fan in her other hand, shouting an aggressive, "Hy!"

"What was the random hello for?" Rhodonite asked, groaning in pain and rubbing at the bleeding cut on her face. She always was used to the Earth custom that "Hi" meant hello, not a sound made in martial arts.

"One more time, focus, fusion." White Diamond opened up the closed fan so both of them were open, she fanned her face while she talked to Rhodonite.

Rhodonite groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, fusions are war machines, and have the potential to be strong warriors. The only way for you to be stronger is to work, now shut up and fight me." White Diamond growled.

Rhodonite caught a glimpse of Yellow watching the two, she looked stunned, which as strange since she never really had much of an expression on her face besides the same, cold, angry face. Rhodonite wasn't sure why she had that expression, maybe it was because she was impressed that she stood up to her superior, or White's aggressive tone.

Rhodonite and White bowed to each other, then got in the fighting stance. Rhodonite hated the Diamonds, she was just going to admit it to herself. There was thousands of years of rage and hate stored up inside her, and she tried to unleash it upon the White adversary who had an expression that laughed right at her for her weakness. Rhodonite tightened her grip on her tomahawk and tried to cut White open with her blade in a frenzy of articulated, precise attacks. White, however, was quicker, deflecting each hit with her fan, her whole arms moving quicker than Rhodonite had ever seen someone move before. After a while of hitting, Rhodonite decided it would be best if she knocked White's fans out of her hands. She aimed her next attack for White's wrist, and she just happened to catch her off guard. White exclaimed in pain and the fan flew out of her left hand and clanked onto the floor, much to everyone's surprise.

Yellow looked up and stared at the scene for a few minutes, waiting for something to happen. Rhodonite and White were both frozen, and it felt like time had frozen. Rhodonite's eyes were locked into White's, and suddenly, White broke the silence by closing her eyes and chuckling to herself. Rhodonite eased out of her fighting stance, wondering why White was laughing at her defeat.

White's eyes suddenly opened to reveal her icy blue irises, she then quickly flipped open her other war fan, teleported behind Rhodonite and held the blade of her fan to Rhodonite's neck again.

"You used the same move twice, one trick pony." Rhodonite jeered.

"Poor sportsmanship is not exactly honorable, fusion." White Diamond said before easing away and getting rid of her fans.

Rhodonite got rid of her tomahawk and rubbed her neck awkwardly as the two stood there facing each other. "Can I go now?"

"Of course, you can, I have things to do anyway," White said before leaving the gardens. Rhodonite expected Yellow to follow, but instead she got up and approached Rhodonite.

Rhodonite assumed the Diamonds were the kind of people who always gave people the creeps by getting uncomfortably close to them because this was the second time one of them had done that. Yellow clutched Rhodonite's chin, but she shook her hand away.

"Now what do you want?" Rhodonite asked.

"I need you to come and meet me at the throne room tomorrow night when the first moon is a quarter of the way across the sky," Yellow replied.

"Oh no, I'm not falling for it. You aren't getting me to come to your throne room just so you can drag me to your lab and do all kinds of weird experiments on me!" Rhodonite shouted before storming out of the gardens.

Yellow crossed her arms in frustration. "I'll have to think of something else instead."

* * *

 **Hello again!**

 **Sorry if this took a little long...**

 **Just to warn you, the first experiments are really not all that horrible/horrific, but painful for Rhodonite. But Rhodonite definitely hears of worse things from Blue and other Gems.**

 **The worst, and best, is yet to come...**


	20. Enticement

"Look, now stage two of the plan. The fusion is too smart for us, so we have to capture her the hard way." Yellow whispered to White Diamond.

"You mean the easy way." White Diamond added.

"We poison her drink, you seduce her, and while she's distracted, I'll chain her up and knock her out." Yellow explained.

"Right, we can trap her in an innocent setting. Our party tonight, perhaps?" White Diamond asked.

"Exactly. The other aristocrats will know what we're doing and won't get in our way, and those Pearls are so ignorant, they'll get jealous and continue their meaningless fawning." Yellow said.

"Sounds like a plan, I'll send a Pearl to tell the fusion that she's invited to the party." White Diamond replied.

"And I'll ready the poison. You'll have to seduce her, which I know won't be hard." Yellow smiled devilishly.

"Of course." White smiled back.

* * *

Rhodonite lounged on the bed in her room, staring out the window, watching the ships go by. She was startled when she heard the door creak open and the footsteps of a Pearl echo across the room.

Rhodonite turned around. "What do you want?" She scoffed.

"The Diamonds wish to inform you that you are invited to one of their parties tonight. They expect to see you in Dancing Area 1 by tonight a few hours after sunset. Your Pearl assistants will be here to dress you two hours after sunset, so be ready. See you tonight." The Pearl said before walking out of the room and closing the door.

"Parties? They have parties here?" Rhodonite asked herself, cocking an eyebrow and tilted her head in confusion.

* * *

The Pearls dressed Rhodonite in a tight black dress that was so short she wasn't even sure if it was legal. It was about three-quarters of the way up her thighs, and she had seen human dresses that were shorter, but she still felt uncomfortable. The Pearls also overdid it on the makeup and even polished her Gem for her.

"This seems a little excessive." Rhodonite said whilst the Pearls were giving her dress on final pull tighter.

"Parties with the Diamonds are special, and remember, special beauty standards." One of the Pearls replied.

"Ugh, I'm getting so sick of these beauty standards." Rhodonite groaned.

"There, off we go to the party!" The Pearl smiled and began to push Rhodonite out the door.

"Fine." Rhodonite sighed as she walked out of the room and followed the Pearls to Dancing Area 1. It reminded Rhodonite of the rave she went to with Stevonnie, it was dark with flashing multicolored lights, and all she could see were the silhouettes of the other invites. There was loud techno music playing, all controlled by an MC Gem on a raised pedestal off to the side of the room. Near the MC was a bar area with some glasses of a strange drink. Rhodonite was nervous to dance, so she decided to sit out and watch whilst the Pearls ran off to dance on the floor, trying to attract attention, even though they weren't getting any. Yellow and White Diamond were sitting luxuriously on plump throne-like chairs, conversing with other Gem aristocrats whilst a large group of Pearls fawned over them all. White Diamond was looking particularly scandalous in a black sort of bikini outfit with a light, white cover-up dress that was long on one side and short on the other side.

"Hey, I didn't think you were coming!" Rhodonite was startled by the perky voice of Blue Diamond coming up behind her. She leaned against the wall next to Rhodonite smiling.

"At least I have someone cool to hang out with here," Rhodonite said in relief.

"Cool? Are you kidding? If you're looking for cool, you gotta go for Yellow and White. Anyone but me." Blue replied.

"Nope, I think you're as cool as it gets. How are those drinks by the way?" Rhodonite asked, pointing to the bar.

"Not bad, actually. It's probably nothing like Earth stuff though." Blue said.

"I guess I gotta be the judge of that." Rhodonite grinned mischievously.

Blue Diamond realized that her sisters usually put poisons in the drinks of their newest victims, it wasn't enough to kill, but enough to take down their guard, and then White seduces them with her looks. Blue didn't want Rhodonite to get hurt, so she ran after her, warning her not to drink any of the drinks.

"What? You were fine with it before!" Rhodonite shouted.

"I'm warning you, it's dangerous!" Blue Diamond called back.

"Right, and I'm the buzzkill. It'll be fine!" Rhodonite said before taking a seat at the bar. Blue sat next to her. Rhodonite, like any other person, was influenced by the party atmosphere. Blue knew it well, people do stupid things when in this kind of place, the flashing lights and the ear-splitting noise was enough to make people take their guards down and end up possibly hurting themselves. She even saw the bartender making Rhodonite's drink in a way that was different than all the others, and she also saw the bartender dip in a strange chemical and stir.

The bartender handed Rhodonite the drink, and she instantly drank the whole thing, bottoms up, much to Blue's worry. Rhodonite put the cup down on the counter. "Another!" She shouted kind of groggily.

"How do you feel? Tired, woozy.." Blue asked frenetically before getting interrupted by Rhodonite slapping another glass on the table.

"I feel great! Let's go out and dance!" Rhodonite shouted perkily.

"What?" Blue asked quizzically as Rhodonite dragged her out on the floor and she began to throw down. Rhodonite popped eyes as she dropped it low to the beat, popped and locked, unlike everyone else, her Earth moves were quite unique. It caused White and Yellow to smirk to each other, their plan was working.

As if some sort of telepathic signal exchanged between Yellow and White, they left the area of fawning Pearls and chatting aristocrats to get into position. Yellow went off into a separate room, and White went out into the dance floor, heading straight for Rhodonite. She bustled through the crowd silently, eventually making her way to Rhodonite and Blue Diamond.

"Step aside, sister." White Diamond said quietly, pushing away Blue before engaging in a partner dance with Rhodonite. White seemed to mimic Rhodonite's dancing style fairly well, so they synchronized with ease. In the end of their dance, the two were holding each other, gazing into each other's eyes. White Diamond smiled evilly, whilst Rhodonite looked lovesick. Blue Diamond was shuffling her feet with anxiety, not sure what to do.

"How about you come with me and synchronize all the way..." White Diamond whispered, implying fusion.

Rhodonite, forgetting about her inability to fuse, replied with a woozy, "Okay..." and White dragged Rhodonite into the separate room where Yellow went and shut the door. Blue was panicking by now, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get into the room. Rhodonite ignored Blue's shouts through the door, to invested in White Diamond as she ran her fingers up her statuesque figure, and White did the same to Rhodonite. Rhodonite's gaze was moony and her eyelids drooped occasionally. Meanwhile, Yellow Diamond was sneaking up behind Rhodonite, ready with a glass bottle, smiling devilishly. The two Diamonds winked to each other, and Yellow hit Rhodonite over the head, shattering the bottle and knocking her out.

Yellow Diamond went and got some chains and chained Rhodonite up by her wrists and neck, then called a soldier to take the knocked out Rhodonite to Lab 1.

"We'll conduct our first experiment tomorrow, but for now, let's get back to our party," Yellow smirked and high-fived White. The two locked arms and walked back out to the party, and acted like the whole thing never happened...

* * *

 **OKAY THAT'S THE LAST TIME I'M LISTENING TO PITBULL WHILE WRITING**

 **Two things that caused me to spit this out:**

 **My brother said that White was his favorite Diamond because I made her sound really pretty and powerful so I thought..."Hey, she could use her looks as an advantage!"** **I was listening to that darn Pitbull song, "Fun." and whoop I got inspired.** **  
**

 **When people say that music doesn't effect you I will show them this piece...**

 **Anyways..I saw the new Star Wars movie on Saturday and it was amazeballs! I've been a Star Wars fan since a really young age so this brought back some nostalgia.**

 **Anyway, you know what comes next...Rhodonite gets a little tossed around...**


	21. Tossed Around

Rhodonite woke up with a splitting migraine.

"Aw, what happened?" She asked groggily, trying to lift her hand up to hold her head, but both her arms, legs, and neck were chained to the floor. She was stuck sitting on her knees, her back slightly bent because of the weight of the chains on her neck. She was wearing a gray tank top and black, spandex-like leggings. "Oh come on guys, more outfits? I just want consistency, ya'll." Rhodonite scoffed to herself.

The chains suddenly came off and disappeared into the floor, much to Rhodonite's surprise and pleasure. She stood up, stretched, and cracked her back, neck, and knuckles, groaning with relief. She then sat back down with her legs crossed. "Okay, now why am I here again?" She asked, looking around the plain white room with no windows or any sort of color or interesting features whatsoever. She finally noticed a window with a control area a ways up the wall, where Yellow and White Diamond were waiting along with a Fluorite working all the computers. "Plain white?" Rhodonite asked, looking up at the Diamonds. "Boring!" She said in a sing-song tone.

"Enough jokes, fusion. After your discovery, we need to see how well you do in the battlefield, if you have all the capabilities of a real fusion." Yellow said through a loudspeaker.

Rhodonite wasn't sure whether she hated or didn't care when she wasn't considered a real fusion. She really wasn't, but "fusion" was also sort of her identity to cling on. If she wasn't a fusion, and she wasn't a real Gem, what was she? She hid all these emotions and simply replied with, "Bring it on."

A giant door opened and an 11-foot tall woman stomped her way into the room. Rhodonite kept thinking of how grateful she must've been that the room had high ceilings. The woman was unbelievably muscular, and she flexed every one of them as she walked in. She had emerald green skin, and dark jade, poofy, mountainous hair and plump lips of the same color. She wore an "Office" green body suit with a yellow diamond symbol in the center of her chest, along with golden armor booties, arm pads, shoulder pads, breastplates, and knee pads. She had a cocky smirk on her face, and she wielded a giant shillelagh, basically a giant stick with a heavy "hitting end" to club things with. Her Gem was located on her cheek. Rhodonite looked up at the Gem, terrified, since she was only slightly bigger than a Pearl.

"How about you bring it on, little girl?" The green Gem said in what sounded like a Southern accent as she swung her club over her shoulder.

"This is Amazonite, the strongest Gem in our entire military. We train our Quartz by fighting her every day. Good luck." White Diamond introduced the green Gem through the loudspeaker.

"Yeah, and I wipe the floor with those pathetic Quartz too." Amazonite chuckled.

Rhodonite was shaking now, because Quartz were always intimidating for her, let alone Amazonite.

Amazonite set her club on the floor for a second in order to crack her knuckles, then her neck. She picked up the club again and took a swing at Rhodonite. Rhodonite tried to dodge as quickly as possible, but didn't make it out completely in time, because the club came down with a loud boom and caught her leg in the process. Amazonite cackled as she lifted up the club only to slam it down again, this time, her aim was a lot better and it took out both of Rhodonite's legs. Rhodonite was already bleeding all over, and was in tears from the pain, she could barely stand, and just wanted it to end.

"GET UP!" She heard Yellow Diamond screech through the loudspeaker.

Rhodonite didn't get up out of fear of Yellow, but out of her own determination to defeat Amazonite. She summoned her tomahawk and ran toward the Gem. She had heard a story of Pearl poofing a giant three Gem fusion before, so she knew that she could do it too.

"Oh, looking for a tussle I see.." Amazonite cackled. Rhodonite leaped to try and jab her tomahawk into Amazonite's leg to begin climbing up to her Gem, but Amazonite slammed Rhodonite against the wall with her club, knocking Rhodonite's tomahawk out of her arms and causing bloodstains to actually get on the wall and drip onto the floor.

"It's gonna take more than your weak tomahawk to poof me, hun." Amazonite scoffed before allowing Rhodonite to lay on the ground and bleed.

"That's enough...for today," Yellow said over the speaker, clearly disappointed in Rhodonite's performance. Amazonite left the room, smiling at her victory, and three healers came with a stretcher, picked up the now unconscious Rhodonite and carried her to her room...

* * *

 **Dang...things are getting serious up in here...**

 **The experiments get worse, as Yellow gets more curious.**

 **Oh gosh, I feel so weird since this is so short! The next ones will be longer, and I promise some more Blue in the near future. :D**


	22. The AfterMath

Rhodonite woke up in her bed again, her whole body aching. She tried to sit up, even though it hurt. She was in the same outfit as she was in when the experiment was taking place, except it was bloody and slightly ripped. She noticed that her limbs were wrapped in some sort of tape, which Rhodonite assumed to keep the healing tears or whatever in place.

"I better get my limbs back to moving, who knows how long I've been resting..." Rhodonite said to herself as she got up out of bed and limped to the gardens.

The gardens were seemingly empty of Gems, it was still daylight, but getter darker as the sun set. Rhodonite didn't like the pain of walking through the pavilion, but yet it was calming, and she liked all the noise. Birds were chirping, animals were chattering and grunting, snorting and howling, and she could hear the river running. Lo and behold, she stopped at a part of the forest path that the river ran through. The river was moving quickly in white, foamy rapids and the water seemed to make its own sort of roar, and now that Rhodonite thought about it, the river was more of a creek or stream. Luckily, there was a beautiful red bridge crossing the stream, and Rhodonite decided to stand on the bridge and watch the water and animals, her arms resting on the railing.

Rhodonite sat there for hours, and she took mental note of everything she saw, from the colorful birds, some with magnificent tail feathers, to a herd of long-necked, purple mammals drinking from the stream.

"Rhodonite?" Rhodonite could hear the familiar voice of Blue Diamond behind her.

"Hello," Rhodonite said quietly and brusquely, not even turning to look at Blue.

Blue leaned on the railway beside her. "I see you are recovering from the experiment," She said. Blue was wearing the same outfit she was wearing when she first saw her, an ice blue kimono.

"Yeah, the experiment that _you_ conducted. Don't act innocent, you are one of them and I know you helped." Rhodonite snapped.

"I didn't conduct it, my sisters did, there's nothing I can do about that," Blue replied.

"But you have a say in the whole committee thing, you could have stopped it if you really cared," Rhodonite said.

"You don't know that, I have a small say, but they never listen to me. You know enough about me to remember that I'm defective." Blue argued.

"That was my first mistake, confiding in you," Rhodonite said quietly.

"That wasn't a mistake! The experiment was not my fault, you can still trust me, I swear!" Blue put an arm on Rhodonite's back.

Rhodonite winced in pain and flicked her hand off. "Don't touch me! I don't need your sympathy."

"I have a feeling you'll need me," Blue replied.

"Oh, so you suddenly have future vision now?" Rhodonite asked sarcastically.

"All Diamonds possess it, actually," Blue explained.

"Ugh, whatever." Rhodonite scoffed.

"I know this is scary, and I know this is why it is leading you to not think straight, but I could help you if you stop blaming me," Blue said encouragingly.

Rhodonite's eyes widened, and Blue smiled as she saw this.

"Fine, you have a point," Rhodonite replied.

"Glad to know that I'm right." Blue smiled.

Rhodonite tried to hold back a smile but failed. The two sat in silence for a bit, watching the river.

"Do you know anything about who you used to be?" Blue asked.

"Oh, I know plenty. Parts of it is still vague, but it was quite the adventure to even remember who I was." Rhodonite said, still staring off at the river. She looked over to see that Blue was staring intently at her, her eyes glittering with fascination. "Fine, I'll tell you, just quit looking at me like that!" She said.

"Alright! Where does it begin? Well, the part you remember?" Blue asked eagerly.

"It started at a raid during the first Gem war, one of my past lives, Sodalite, and her partner/wife, Howlite were stalking a Homeworld ship carrying Rhodochrosite, my other past life. After capturing Rhodochrosite and some of her helpers, Sodalite got to know Rhodochrosite over the weeks, and she even took her out to the beach so she could pick her side based on heart, not fear. After Rhodochrosite joined the Crystal Gems, Sodalite, Howlite and her worked together and prepared for the final battle of the Gem War, Operation Orosu, where Sodalite and Rhodochrosite died and eventually got melded together." Rhodonite explained.

"That's it? I felt like it was going to be more...detailed?" Blue said.

"You're only getting a summary out of me, hun," Rhodonite replied.

Blue chuckled. "That's good enough for me."

There were a few seconds of silence again before Rhodonite looked back over at Blue Diamond.

"You're still here?" She asked quizzically.

"Where else would I go?" Blue answered with a question.

"I don't know, away from here? It's boring here, so I thought maybe you had better things to do?" Rhodonite said awkwardly.

"Nah, I think you're as cool as it gets." Blue smiled.

Rhodonite grinned back, then it shrunk back down to seriousness. "I should head back to bed, everything aches, maybe I'll feel better tomorrow." She began to limp away.

"Well, I'll see you later!" Blue shouted perkily, waving goodbye.

"Yeah, yeah, good talk." Rhodonite said as she made her way to the door from the path, and she wearily waved back.

Blue smiled and sighed. "I think this whole 'friend' thing is coming along!"

* * *

 **You said you wanted more Blue so...**

 **Now don't get me wrong, Blue will be very important in the near future, but as of right now, she is more like Sally in the Nightmare Before Christmas, that friend/lover that the main character doesn't really notice at first. But I mean, cut Rho some slack, she's been through a lot.**

 **What does everyone think of Rho and Blue's relationship so far? And what do you speculate on coming from it?**

 **ALSO I AM SO EXCITED FOR STEVENBOMB 4 I ALMOST FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR**


	23. Night Lotus

Rhodonite had changed into a long, flowy, blousy blue silk dress, and for some reason, all of the dresses she was provided on Homeworld had tight bodices and long trains (Then she remembered the beauty standards). She couldn't sleep, no matter how comfortable the bed was, Homeworld was just a scary place. She was afraid that someone was going to take her, shatter her, experiment on her, torture her, so to clear her mind, she decided to go to the gardens and calm herself. The gardens were the closest thing to home for her, the closest thing to Earth, and it comforted her. Sure, it didn't have Steven, or Howlite, or the other Crystal Gems, but it was the best it could get for Homeworld.

The pavilion was a lot prettier at night, there were flowers that lit up in beautiful, vibrant colors, piercing the dark with their luminous iridescence. Rhodonite decided to walk the same old path, looking at all the gorgeous plants. She would peek through the trees and find little ponds full of white lilies and glowing magenta lotuses. Lining the path were plants of all kinds, and they all glowed. From pink and blue hibiscus-like flowers to golden, orange and magenta amaryllis. Rhodonite wished that she could put some of them in her hair, but she just didn't have the style for it.

She finally stopped at the river and the waterfall. It was calmer, not as quickly moving with thick, white, foamy rapids. Instead, it was a dark, teal ribbon that cut through the ground and slithered around the jungle. The sound of the pouring waterfall was calming, and Rhodonite decided to jump out to a stone in the middle of the water, sit down on it, and meditate, the train of her dress dipping in the water and floating above the surface. The glowing pink lotuses would sometimes drift and land on the cape, giving it a strange luminous look.

"Fancy seeing you here." A voice pierced the silence. Rhodonite opened her eyes to see Blue Diamond, wearing a fuchsia dress very similar to Rhodonite's on the bank. Her hair was down and full of luscious body, and her bangs were pinned back with a blue and pink scintillating oriental lily.

Rhodonite stood up on the rock. "I couldn't sleep."

"You're lucky you're allowed to sleep at all, only the wealthy or guests of the wealthy can sleep. Everyone else is still awake, well, including us." Blue Diamond leaped out to a rock close to the one Rhodonite was on.

"Why are you up?" Rhodonite asked.

"It's really pretty out here at this time." Blue Diamond smiled, looking up at the stars and the three moons in the sky, beaming down on them. "Is this what Earth is like?"

"From what I know, yes," Rhodonite replied.

Blue leaped out to the rock Rhodonite was on, their feet having to touch in order for them to both stay on. Rhodonite was nervous, butterflies were in her stomach, she wasn't used to being this close to someone.

"I have to admit, you are my favorite out of the Gems that have come here." Blue Diamond said.

"Then why are you hesitating? " Rhodonite asked but immediately regretted, she didn't mean to sound flirty right away.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." Blue sighed.

"I won't let that happen. If someone tries to hurt me, I'll hurt them back, and I'll take you away from this awful place, show you Earth." Rhodonite smiled.

Blue Diamond blushed and shuffled her feet nervously, causing the two to fall into the river in each other's arms. They came out of the water, giggling, yet still nervous. Their beautiful dresses were soaked, and so was their hair, but Blue's flower still glittered, and the two were holding each other now, laughing and blushing.

"Aw, great, now I`m all-" Rhodonite began to groan before getting shut up by a kiss from Blue Diamond. Blue Diamond's weight on Rhodonite caused the two to fall back under the water. It was dark under there, at least, not until the moon shone through and pierced the dark, creating a surreal sort of spotlight over them. Blue's long hair seemed to reach for the surface and wave back and forth with the soft current like a navy anemone, and Rhodonite's fluffy hair floated up as well, like soft, plump grasses. Rhodonite's eyes opened only to notice Blue Diamond's gem glowing, but hers remained dull. She was reminded of her inability to fuse and sadness filled her mind. How could Blue love her if she couldn't even fuse with her? Rhodonite felt unworthy to be with Blue, and she quickly pulled out of Blue's embrace and rose to the surface.

Rhodonite got out of the water and ran off into the forest. Blue rose from the surface and began to follow her.

"What happened? Where are you going?" Blue called.

"I'm sorry, Blue! But I can't do it!" Rhodonite called back, already deep in the woods.

"What do you mean?" Blue Diamond followed Rhodonite's voice into the forest.

Rhodonite wanted to morph into her corrupted form, her inner animal was roaring, snarling inside of her, wanting to come out. Too much feeling, her heart was racing and tears were drifting out of her eyes.

"Why do I always get myself into these things? I'm not good enough for one of the diamonds, especially that one! She's too good, too pure, and what am I? A stained, dirty disgrace to gemkind! I can barely even restrain my corruption, and for what, some stupid, cliche waterfall kiss that should never have happened!" Rhodonite said to herself, before growling and eventually morphing into her corrupted form, snarling in agony as her back morphed and extra legs formed. She kept stomping through the forest before ending up backed into a corner.

Blue Diamond ran into the area where Rhodonite was, calling her name still, and then stopped to see the gigantic lizard form of Rhodonite, growling.

"Rhodonite?" Blue Diamond asked. "What are you doing?"

"YOU HAVE TO LEAVE NOW!" Rhodonite shouted before she lost sentient and roared in Blue Diamond's face, almost blowing her away. Rhodonite gnashed her jaws, trying to get Blue, but instead of flinching or running away, she touched Rhodonite's snout and began to gently stroke it, much to Rhodonite's surprise.

"I didn't know you had corruption in you," Blue whispered.

The beast sat down like an obedient dog whilst Blue stroked her. Eventually, Rhodonite shrunk down into her humanoid form. She was on her knees, her face in her palms, her chest heaving. Blue Diamond sat beside her and put an arm around her.

"Why can't you do it?" Blue Diamond asked, her voice calm, sultry, and it sounded...like Earth piano.

Rhodonite looked up, her face out of her hands now, and said. "I can't fuse with you! What kind of lover am I if I can't fuse with you? And also, I'm too dangerous for you, I almost killed you just now! I shouldn't love anyone, and that's final." Rhodonite cried.

Blue Diamond scooted closer to Rhodonite and held her tighter. "If you say so, but for the record, I don't really like to fuse anyway."

"We're still friends, right?" Rhodonite asked, her voice stuffy from crying.

"Of course! You're the only person I know who is, well, good! You're someone who understands! I couldn't just leave you! Look, I know a lot is happening, and Homeworld is kind of scary, and corruption is giving you problems, but believe me, I'll help you through it. I won't let you be a goner." Blue said.

Rhodonite smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

 **To those who guessed, you are correct! Rho and Blue do have tiny little crushes on each other. However, Rho has a lot of baggage and trust issues, and in fact, so does Blue, so that leaves their relationship to be very, very, complicated. Unspoken communication also plays a big role in how their relationship turns out.**

 **Rho x Blue was originally going to be a "guilty pleasure" ship of mine, but my friends (Who are also readers) and I felt like they sort of fit together!**

 **Anyway, I will try to update more often...I haven't figured out an exact interval or date for each episode, (Like every Thursdays or something) because some things take longer than others.**

 **Reviews are encouraged, so please don't be shy!**

 **Love you all...**

 **-AmethystGalaxy999**


	24. CRAZY EQUALS GENIUS

Yellow paced once more in the throne room, her high heels sounding like horse hooves. White stood and pondered to herself, her thoughts almost exactly the same as Yellow's. Blue sat and watched the two, not uttering a word, knowing that it was probably about Rhodonite. Instead she tried her hardest to cover her face in the shadow of the hood of her cloak.

"Why are we even keeping her? She's a horrible soldier, and she is a total wreck, a waste of our efforts!" White shouted.

Yellow stopped. "I know there is use for her, we just have to find it. Look, I don't have the mindset for this. You two come up with an idea, I have to devise a new plan for...Earth."

"Earth? What happened?" Blue asked.

"The annoying little Peridot, your informant, and the Jasper I sent are all useless. Lapis Lazuli and the Jasper are missing, and the Peridot just reported only to tell me that she is making an effort to stop the Cluster...she even had the nerve to question my authority and insult me! Can you believe?" Yellow explained.

"Reminds me of Rose Quartz." White mumbled.

"Rose Quartz? Ha, not even close! That Peridot clearly doesn't see the uselessness of Earth, and she will die with it." Yellow said. "Just do as I say and I will check on your progress when I get back."

Yellow Diamond walked out of the throne room, slamming the door behind her. White and Blue Diamond looked at each other.

"Any ideas?" Blue asked.

"Well, let's see. What jobs do we give Gems here that could actually be useful to us? There is no way I'm doing all this work for a Pearl gem." White replied.

"What about engineering? What if Rhodonite is like a Peridot or a Fluorite?" Blue suggested before realizing that she may have just accidentally lead her friend to more torture.

"That's a fine idea. We'll inform Yellow Diamond and try it out tomorrow. I'm glad you are finally starting to think straight." White said.

Blue blushed. She practically lived for the approval of her sisters. It was like lust almost. The praise was food for her self-esteem, and her ego was always hungry, if not starving, like a ravenous, desperate beggar.

"But stop calling that thing it's name! It's the test subject, the fusion, the abomination, the thing. Not Rhodonite. Do you understand me?" White added sternly.

Blue nodded.

* * *

"Rho, wake up." Rhodonite could hear the solemn voice of Blue Diamond, and she was standing over her bed.

Rhodonite groaned sleepily and sat up. "Must be pretty important if you came to tell me yourself. What's up?" Rhodonite rubbed her eyes.

"No time. Get dressed, I'll help you." Blue ordered.

"Okay, okay, geez." Rhodonite slid out of bed. Blue Diamond led her to the wardrobe.

"I'll take it from here. And if you would be so kind as to look away." Rhodonite said as she dug around in the wardrobe.

"Grumpy, I see." Blue mumbled as she turned away.

"Not necessarily grumpy. If you get to act out to impress someone, then I guess I have to play along too, right?" Rhodonite added as she zipped up an olive green jumpsuit.

Blue's eyes widened.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm smarter than you thought, now lead to this so called important thing that you hurried me out of bed for." Rhodonite walked out the door, Blue followed, a look of awe on her face. However, she quickly changed it back to a stern, straight expression as the two reached the training lab.

"Aw shoot. Another one? Am I gonna get thrown across the room or something?" Rhodonite groaned.

"No. This is way different." Blue replied.

"We'll take it from here." Yellow and White approached them, grabbed Rhodonite and dragged her into the plain white room. "Meet us in the observation deck, Blue."

In the lab, it was plain white like last time, but in the center of the room was a purple box on a pedestal and a box of tools. Rhodonite tilted her head sideways and cocked an eyebrow quizzically. "What the heck is this supposed to be?"

"What the heck are _you_ supposed to be?" Yellow replied smugly.

"You have a point, go on." Rhodonite said quietly.

"This is a test we give to all of our Peridots and Fluorites. Although they go through years of training before this, all up-to-standard technicians should have a natural talent strong enough to crack the case with the tools given. If not, then they are considered defective and they have no business with us." Yellow Diamond explained.

"Well, what does the box even do?" Rhodonite asked.

"All techinicans are supposed to receive the same results from this test in order to pass. The only time someone got an unrecognizable response was 300 years ago, but let's not go into that. The goal is...to make it levitate seamlessly. No propellers, jets, anything. Good luck." Yellow Diamond left Rhodonite to her business and met up with White and Blue in the observation deck.

Rhodonite chewed her lip and immediately began thinking. Luckily, there was a pen in the toolbox, but no paper. She decided to draw her formulas, equations, blueprints, and measurements on the white floor, which caused Yellow to grumble. After the planning stage, which took a matter of five minutes, Rhodonite got to work on modifying the inside of the box to give it levitating capabilites while humming "Haven't You Noticed I'm A Star", a song she heard Steven singing in the shower.

"I know she will fail, the fusion is unstable, demented, crazy, and I'm surprised it even has sentient. I don't even know why you came up with this idea, Blue." Yellow growled impatiently.

Blue buried herself in her cloak, but still had a firm gaze on Rhodonite. Rhodonite added a few finishing touches on the box, then backed away as it began to levitate.

"Done! Do you guys have a harder challenge for me?" Rhodonite looked up at the observation deck, twirling her electric drill in her hands.

"I guess crazy is a synonym for genius." Blue said. She looked down at her sisters, who both had sparks of inspiration in their eyes. She could see ideas brewing, and she knew they weren't good.

 _Oh no. I put Rho in danger, and it's all my fault._ Blue's mind was racing.

The Fluorite who was manning the controls and soundbooth in the observation deck looked over at the Diamonds. "My Diamonds, the test subject has completed the task in less time than our best technicians."

"I am aware, Fluorite. Send in two Rubies to take her back to her room." Yellow replied. She then turned to the other Diamonds. "Sisters, meet me in the throne room...I have a new plan."

 _What have I done?_ Blue thought.

* * *

 **UGH HOW SHORT**

 **I am so sorry for not updating often. I've had a bit of writer's block. And also, canon has seemingly been repeatedly kicking me in the gut if you know what I mean. During the Stevenbomb, when it came to fanfiction, the sudden jumps of fate left me...frozen.**

 **HOWEVER. I have come to the conclusion, that this story will not be perfect, and that I knew from the beginning that if I took this risk, that I would likely be wrong. I have spent too much time developing these characters this way, and I will not abandon them. Instead, I will continue with my plans and write this story, because even though this a fanfiction, this is my story, and I care about it, and I will not only complete it for the satisfaction of bringing it to completion, but also because this story is meaningful to me, and I can't just give it up. I think the moments I've had with this story are what fills me with such...determination. (*cue undertale music*)**

 **So please, canon may faze me for a short period of time, but I have perseverance, and I hope you decide to stay loyal and supportive of this no matter what.**

 **-AmethystGalaxy999**


	25. Faded (Second Experiment)

Blue Diamond had decided to hang out with Rhodonite in Rhodonite's room.

"Are you sure it's safe in here?" Blue asked as she sat on the bed next to Rhodonite.

"Yeah, I think so. Are the others busy?" Rhodonite asked.

"Yes, I'm not sure what they are discussing, but they seemed pretty impressed with your performance with the challenge. How did you do it?" Blue replied.

"One of my past lives was Sodalite, a slave who joined the Crystal Gems. While she was there, she learned to engineer and proved to be pretty good at it. I remember everything she learned and "inherited" her natural aptitude." Rhodonite explained.

"That's amazing!" Blue said in awe. Blue Diamond, however, decided to keep the fact that Sodalite was once her slave a secret. Back then, Blue was so desperate for approval, that not only did she administer the Earth colony, but also whipped and tortured Sodalite.

"Do you think they'll let me go now that I've proved my worth to them?" Rhodonite asked.

"I think so, I don't know what they're going to do." Blue shrugged.

* * *

"It's amazing! Outstanding, spectacular! We should've done that test sooner! I know exactly what to do!" Yellow shouted in excitement.

"I already know what you're going to say, sister, and I agree completely!" White smiled.

"We have discovered the next big thing in engineering. Forget those annoying Peridots, no, we'll acquire and duplicate the Gem matter of...what was that fusion's name?" Yellow said.

"Rhodonite, she calls herself. No matter, we need to get our Gemeticists on this right away." White added.

Yellow turned to her Pearl, a smug, dramatic, yet somewhat useful Gem. She sported a pale yellow pixie-cut pointed bob, as well as a bodysuit similar to most Pearls except with puffy, frilly shoulder sleeves. "Pearl!" Yellow called her to attention.

The Yellow Pearl flinched. "Yes, my Diamond?"

"Gather your best gemeticists and reserve Lab V, as well as grab the fusion in her sleep," Yellow ordered.

"Yes, my Diamond." The Yellow Pearl stood with her arms tight to her sides and her legs clenched together. She crossed her arms to make a Diamond symbol as she said this. The Pearl rushed out of the room, the door lightly slamming behind her.

"Will we be taking part in this procedure?" White turned to Yellow and asked.

"Of course we are! Why would we not? You're not starting to become...corrupt, are you?" Yellow responded with a question.

"No, absolutely not. I'm just as excited about this procedure as you are." White said.

"Good. After this is all said and done, we will have a great feast! It'll be fun. Come, let us prepare while the servants get everything ready..." Yellow and White walked out of the throne room, smiling to each other rather devilishly.

* * *

The Pearl and the Gemeticists didn't know what to do when they found Rhodonite, for they found Blue Diamond sleeping in her bed as well as Rhodonite. The two Gemeticists who were sent to grab her shrugged to themselves awkwardly and lifted Rhodonite out of bed. So that their Diamond wouldn't wake, they slid a body pillow were Rhodonite had been, and pulled up the covers. They left in silence...

Rhodonite, the next morning, woke up to a blinding white light in her face. She groaned and tried to sit up, but she quickly realized that she was strapped to a dentist's chair tightly. She struggled a bit more, since Gems are strong enough to break out of most bonds. These bonds, however, were made of the same laser as the forcefields of their prisons.

"It's no use, no Gem can escape those bonds." Yellow said coldly, or at least Rhodonite though it was Yellow, her doctor's mask and headscarf were enough to confuse her, as well as the lab coat.

"What do you want with me? Let me out, now! I'm not afraid to kill you..." Rhodonite snarled.

"Oh, but how can you kill me when you can't even move..." Yellow smiled tauntingly and clutched Rhodonite's chin, but pulled it away as Rhodonite gnashed her teeth. There was something about Gems that made them almost beast-like, in their mannerisms, and Rhodonite was no exception to this.

Rhodonite had a tendency to have the simple mindset of an animal too, especially in moments of anger, fear, or both. She had two thoughts buzz through her mind: Escape, and kill. She was already sick of Yellow and White's games, and even if she did go corrupt, that couldn't possibly break through the laser chains. She still struggled, growling at Yellow Diamond.

Rhodonite could see a Fluorite whisper in Yellow's ear. Rhodonite couldn't make it out, but Yellow Diamond grinned and nodded. She felt a sudden pain in her chest, and looked down to see that she had been stabbed by something like an IV, or a needle. There was a long tube trailing away from the needle, and her eyes followed it to a large glass bottle, already filling with a pink and blue swirly liquid, like two dish soaps mixed together. Her eyes widened, but she had no idea what was happening. The whole process confused her, and quite frankly angered her. She didn't think about Blue, she didn't think about anything except what was happening right in that very second.

And boy, did it hurt.

The procedure was the awful combination of ache and burn, like a cramp and as though she was getting her skin burned with acid. She felt herself getting weaker, woozier, the room started to wobble, and her senses began to drop like flies. During those moments, she felt that sense of panic, like the kind when you think you forgot something important, or when you sleep on your arm and it paralyzes it for a few seconds when you wake up.

"What are you doing...to me...?" Rhodonite croaked as she weakly turned to Yellow Diamond.

"Oh, you thought that engineering genius didn't come at a price? Don't worry, my pet, your donation will be cherished for centuries!" Yellow said sinisterly.

"I hear you're a daydreamer...too caught up in that little world up there. Past lives, you say? Well, we just did you a favor, you're back to being exactly how you started." White added.

Rhodonite looked down at her arm, which was pinned to the armrest of the chair. She noticed her holographic form fading, becoming thinner and thinner like a bad quality photo. She looked back up at the Diamonds, her face practically emitting fear...

"Dead," They said in unison.

Rhodonite's eyes closed...and everything was black, the pain was numbed, the noise gone, the strong scents of the chemicals and the cold leather feel of the chair...all gone...

* * *

Meanwhile, in the bedroom...

Blue Diamond woke up groggy, rolled over and quietly groaned. "Rhodonite?" Only to realize that a body pillow had taken her place. She sat up abruptly and flipped through the covers frantically, her eyes wide with anxiety.

"Rhodonite!" She cried as she got up and ran through the palace halls. She stopped and asked a Pearl where her sisters were, and she found her way to Lab V, worried out of her mind. She hesitated opening the door, I mean, it may not be Rhodonite in there, right? Blue eventually decided to burst into the door.

"Yellow Diamond!" She shouted angrily as she took in the sight of a fading Rhodonite connected to a bottle of bubbling liquid, the two Diamonds standing over her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You have no say in this, defect! You _knew_ this was to happen, and yet you grew attached to her anyway. Why can't you understand the greater good? Why can't you naive little mind grasp that this is the right thing?" Yellow retaliated.

"This isn't the right thing, in fact, it is the _wrong_ thing! I _am_ a Diamond, defect or not, which means that I also have a say in our decisions! Fluorites, so help me, take Rhodonite to the hospital wing, and do _everything_ in your power to revive her. Pump that matter back into her, and don't stop until you see her form restored." Blue had some sort of confidence burst, but in her fit of rage, the Fluorites listened and carried Rhodonite out of the room quickly, leaving Blue and her sisters.

"How _dare_ you order my Fluorites around! They are _my_ property, for they bear _my_ colors and _my_ emblems, meaning they listen to _my_ orders!" Yellow shouted.

"They may be yours, but Rhodonite is my friend, and they were the ones conducting the experiment, and now they're going to reverse it," Blue said.

The fusion? Your friend? You can't decide her fate unless-" Yellow began to argue before getting interrupted.

"I claim the fusion Rhodonite, she's my property. I don't wish to refer to her as so, but she will bear my emblem." Blue declared proudly.

Yellow and White looked at each other with uncertainty.

"Which means...you can't do anything to her unless it is an absolute emergency." Blue said smugly, crossing her arms. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go see how my _property_ is doing." Blue strode out of the laboratory confidently, leaving the other two Diamonds to whisper among themselves.

Blue rushed into the hospital wing, and was relieved to see that Rhodonite's holographic form was still partially intact, but still fading...

"Keep working, I won't stop until she's alive!" Blue ordered, watching over Rhodonite with anxiety. She looked at Rhodonite's clothing, a light blue nightgown. She quickly placed a Blue Diamond emblem on the bodice of the nightgown.

"Please wake up..." Blue Diamond prayed, a few quiet tears streaming down her face.

* * *

 **GAH THE SUSPENSE**

 **ISN'T EVERYONE ON THE EDGE OF THEIR SEATS**

 **Doesn't everyone just want to, bombard me with questions to point in which I explode? Shouldn't I just reassure everyone with the truth?**

 **Yeah, no, I'm way more evil than that.**

 **This is clearly not over, so I will have the next chapter up very shortly! (It's one of my favorites.)**

 **(Also: WHOO BLUE YOU GO GIRL)**


	26. Strawberry Battlefield

"Alright, the Homeworld militia should be here any second, let's go over the plan, since we know the geography of this field well, we can use it to our advantage. Garnet, take Sodalite and the rest of the sharp shooting party up on the floating islands, there are ballistas waiting there. Here's how we attack..." Rose began to explain, drawing in the dirt. Sodalite zoned out for most of it because of nerves. It was her first battle as a Crystal Gem, and she had always feared Homeworld, and her lack of proper training aided her anxiety in taking over her confidence. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a warm hand touching her wrist.

She looked up to see Garnet, a strange anomaly Gem she had first seen at the Cloud Arena several weeks ago. A fusion between two different gem types? It confused Sodalite, but she still followed her orders, and how could she ignore her? Garnet herself was a clash of bright pink and blue like someone threw big buckets of paint on her, and her hair was large, poofy, and square shaped, like a Ruby who used too much hairspray and got a little crazy with the teasing comb. Her clothes looked tattered and thrown together, and she had three wide eyes that looked just as confused as Sodalite was, yet eager at the same time.

"Let's go. You know the plan, right?" Garnet asked.

Sodalite nodded, her mouth slightly agape.

Garnet began leaping across the floating islands with ease, directing where each sharp shooter should go. Sodalite was not a very good jumper, so it took her time and effort to try and keep up with Garnet, and her landings on the islands were sloppy and dangerous.

"Uh, Garnet? Do you mind slowing down?" Sodalite yelled as she landed face first on a floating island.

"There's no time! You're manning the ballista at the very top island!" Garnet kept jumping.

Sodalite looked to where Garnet gestured, which happened to be the highest island in the chain. She groaned at how far she was from it and tried to go faster.

After a few more minutes, Sodalite climbed up and peeked her head over the surface of the island, gasping for breath. Garnet was sitting peacefully, looking down at the field below, the passing clouds, and the sun which was rising over the distant mountains.

"What took you so long?" Garnet asked, not even looking at Sodalite.

"Well," Sodalite grunted as she gave herself one more pull up onto the island. "Not everyone is a fusion."

"I can respect that." Garnet shrugged. "Do you know the controls for this?" She pointed to the ballista.

"Yes, but I've only worked this thing once. I'm not exactly a soldier." Sodalite said quietly.

"Neither am I," Garnet added.

"Yeah but you have Ruby in you, you know what to do, you can be a soldier. I'm just a slave, used to running back and forth for Blue Diamond." Sodalite said.

"I also have Sapphire in me. You, on the other hand, are the only one of you, and just because you were something then, doesn't mean you can't be someone completely different now. _You_ have to make that choice." Garnet wrapped her hand in Sodalite's. Sodalite looked up into Garnet's eyes. "Do you understand?" Garnet asked.

Sodalite nodded.

"Good." Garnet stood up. "Rose will be up here to do a final check shortly, and remember the plan." Garnet leaped off the island and began her descent.

Sodalite looked at the ballista. "Crap, I didn't listen to the plan."

"My lectures are not _that_ boring, are they?" Sodalite could hear the low, smooth voice of Rose Quartz behind her.

Sodalite turned around and gasped. "No, no, no, no, no! Not at all! What made you think that?" Sodalite stuttered in fear only to be silenced by Rose's finger over her lips.

"It's perfectly fine, I'm not like Blue Diamond," Rose said.

"Oh...okay," Sodalite mumbled.

Rose crouched down to Sodalite's level. "I know this is your first time, and I know you're scared, but you are really doing something great here."

"That reminds me of what Blue Diamond told me when she took me into slavery," Sodalite mumbled.

"This isn't like that. Trust me. Look at the view out there, look at the Gems you've met, all of this is for them, for that. Isn't that worth fighting for?" Rose put a hand on Sodalite's shoulder as she looked out into the field. "

"Yeah, I guess so," Sodalite said.

"Soon, all that guessing is going to turn into knowing." Rose winked.

"Mm." Sodalite could only respond with that.

"You may not believe me, but when a problem or a cause appears and it stares you in the eyes, you must seize it, that's how change happens," Rose added.

"Oh," Sodalite replied.

"And if you really didn't listen to what I said, just make calculated attacks into the masses of Homeworld's soldiers, the more in a single shot, the better. There's a pile of ammunition next to the ballista, and you can summon your weapon if you get into trouble. Good luck, Sodalite." And with that, Rose Quartz was gone.

"Great," Sodalite muttered to herself as she loaded the first arrow on her ballista. She then sat back and waited for the horns to sound. She looked down at the blue star on her chest. She grabbed the fabric with her hand and clenched it. Rose and Garnet's words rolled around in her head...

 _"Look at the view out there, look at the Gems you've met, all of this is for them, for that. Isn't that worth fighting for?"_

 _"You, on the other hand, are the only one of you, and just because you were something then, doesn't mean you can't be someone completely different now. You have to make that choice."_

 _"You may not believe me, but when a problem or a cause appears and it stares you in the eyes, you must seize it, that's how change happens,"_

Sodalite shook her head, she tried to focus on her task, but she couldn't. She remained aloof, looking out into the mountains.

 _"Soon, all that guessing is going to turn into knowing."_

Sodalite wasn't sure what she was feeling, whether or not it was the feeling of knowing, finally having all of your questions answered, except her questions weren't answered. Where was she? What was she doing? Who was she supposed to be? And why? She remembered asking both Rose Quartz and Garnet, and even the Pearl, but they all answered with different forms of the same answer:

"I don't know, you have to figure that out for yourself."

Thankfully, Sodalite's thoughts were interrupted by the fanfare of Homeworld, who's sound intertwined with the Crystal Gems' fanfare and war cry to create a melancholy, yet confident and triumphant sound that captured Sodalite's full attention.

She heard the sound of the Gem next to her shooting a ballista, so she took it as a sign to shoot as well. She aimed, saw a group of Ruby fusions in ranks, and decided to start there. However, once she shot, she whimpered in fear and cowered behind her ballista. She peeked out to see the arrow explode, poofing and/or shattering the entire wave of Rubies.

"Wow," Sodalite said breathlessly. She didn't realize that some of the arrows had detonators on them. She thought only Homeworld had those, but Sodalite assumed that someone stole them.

"Nice shot, whoever you are! Let's see some more of that action!" The shooter next to Sodalite shouted and raised a Rose Quartz battle flag proudly over her ballista.

Sodalite looked over to the limp cloth known as her flag and remembered what Garnet told her about it.

"Just in case you want a little something fancy, or if you want to display a little pride."

Her first shot made her confident and full of determination. She looked down at her star, then back at the millions of Gems bearing Blue Diamond emblems. She looked back at her star, smiled, and picked up her flag.

 _"Soon, all that guessing is going to turn into knowing."_

"If this is what knowing feels like, then I'm never questioning this again!" Sodalite shouted.

Sodalite loaded up another arrow, aimed, and fired. She continued to do this, getting more into it as she went along. Before long, she ran out of arrows. She leaned against the ballista, then turned to the shooter next to her.

"Hey, what do we do once we're out of ammo?" Sodalite asked.

"Just try not to get shot." The shooter replied.

"What?" Sodalite replied quizzically, only to hear the enraged shouts from down below.

"There! Fire!" Sodalite heard the order from a Homeworld Quartz as seven ballistas were shot at the islands.

"Shoot." Sodalite ducked under her ballista, bracing for impact. Instead, the arrow annihilated half of the island underneath her. She dug her hands into the grass as the island shook violently. As if things couldn't get worse, the island began falling out of the sky. Sodalite screamed in fear, then decided that it would be best not to go down with the ship. She peered over the side of the island as it fell, hesitated, then jumped off of the island. Sodalite closed her eyes and braced for impact, her mind scrambling, her life practically flashing before her eyes...

Sodalite felt a force catch her and slide across the dirt. Sodalite opened her eyes to see the multicolored sleeves of Garnet wrapped around her chest, holding her like a quarterback would hold a football. Garnet's usually confused eyes were gleaming with determination, but yet there was a certain anger to them, a certain defensive nature. Sodalite wasn't sure what scared her more, the fall or the angry three-eyed fusion that caught her.

"Garnet? What are you doing?" Sodalite asked.

"What do you think? Saving your butt! Summon your weapon, and I'll try to cover you as best I can." Garnet replied with a forceful tone.

"Okay." Sodalite's mouth was agape again. She summoned her battle axe, then followed Garnet into battle.

Sodalite officially decided that she liked sharpshooting better. The battlefield was intense to say the least, she was careful not to get knocked over by a falling fusion, or get blown to bits by an explosive arrow. The least of her worries was stepping on gem shards which were planted all over the place, like thorny, disturbing plants.

"This is where I leave you, hold up as best you can, and I may be back soon." Garnet turned abruptly to face Sodalite. After giving Sodalite her orders, Garnet leaped away.

"Great," Sodalite said sarcastically. Afterward, she instantly engaged in a fight with a Jasper, and if it weren't for her perseverance, determination, and one lucky swing of her axe, she wouldn't have won. Sodalite took a minute to take in her surroundings. It looked like a volcano went off, to say the least. All plant and animal life in the area were stripped, due to the bombs and the trampling of the soldiers' boots. Garnet had returned, luckily, and the two were fighting side by side.

"Hey, Garnet? If we're fighting this war to protect life on Earth, then why are we destroying it with bombs and stuff?" Sodalite asked.

"The Earth can regenerate from this, I already know that this field will be bountiful with strawberries once we're done with it. However, if Homeworld wins, the Earth can never regenerate from what they are planning to do." Garnet replied as she punched an oncoming Homeworld soldier with her gauntlet.

Another fanfare echoed through the field, but it wasn't the kind that Sodalite had heard before. Instead of it bearing a triumphant ring, it was melancholy, like a distressed mother bird crying for its lost young.

Garnet managed to cackle triumphantly. "They're retreating! We've won!"

"What?" Sodalite's demeanor seemed to leap, and an unconcealable smile began to spread across her face. "We've won? Does that mean Blue Diamond will leave Earth?" Sodalite asked excitedly.

"No, no, the war has only just started. We just won the battle. Both Homeworld and we have not yet even begun to fight!" Garnet grinned.

"Wait, then why are we celebrating?" Sodalite was suddenly very confused.

Garnet wrapped her arm around Sodalite. "Every battle we win means another day closer to the war ending, and I think that's good enough for now."

Sodalite nodded in agreement.

"Let's head back to base, you deserve some sleep," Garnet said as they began walking.

"Sleep?" Sodalite asked.

"Oh, you have much to learn..." Garnet smiled.

* * *

 **Us Crystal Gems gotta stick together, right?**

 **The early years of the Gem War I can imagine being like a bonding time for everyone, that's where strong friendships were made, and I bet Rose taught every Gem she took in to be kind and accepting to everyone, which makes them a very tight-knit army. :)**

 **This memory is supposed to fill Rhodonite with DETERMINATION to keep fighting!**


	27. Turning Tides

Blue Diamond was still watching over the bed in which Rhodonite laid. She had lost all purpose during the three days Rhodonite was unconscious and fading, she couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and she could barely help govern, not that she had much of a say anyway. The Fluorites that were working on Rhodonite previously had left to do other things, so Blue had to take care of her friend herself. Although she still worried, she was seeing outstanding results from her friend. All she needed was to pump the last bit of Gem matter back into her, and hopefully, Rhodonite's form will restore in a matter of minutes. Blue did not hesitate to pump the last drops in, and much like her hypothesis stated, Rhodonite's form restored to its original state.

Rhodonite's eyes opened suddenly, her pupils dilating at the light. She sat up abruptly and took in a sharp breath.

Blue put a hand on her chest and pushed Rhodonite back down into the bed slowly. "Shh...Don't move so quickly, you might exacerbate your condition." She said quietly.

"Blue! You have to let me go!" Rhodonite shouted, struggling under Blue's gentle restraint.

"No, you don't. You need to recover." Blue replied gently.

"Why do you care?" Rhodonite snapped.

"I care a lot about you, why do you think I rescued you?" Blue reassured.

"You rescued me? Oh, well I guess that's true..." Rhodonite replied, her volume dying down. She looked down to see the blue diamond emblem on her chest and panic caused her heart to jump. "What's this?" She asked.

"Proof that I care about you. I claimed you so that my sisters can't touch you unless it's an emergency. You don't have to worry anymore." Blue said.

"But does this mean I have to sacrifice my freedoms to you? Just for protection? I mean, I can defeat your sisters if I really tried..." Rhodonite was already panicked, mostly because she was thinking back to Sodalite's days as a slave for the same Gem.

"You don't have to do anything, I won't make you. Don't worry about anything. You can relax, we can hang out in the gardens all the time, and maybe, we can have a good life together." Blue smiled gently.

"You don't understand, I can't just relax, not now. Don't you realize this is wrong? What they did to me, what they've done to everyone before me, and what they plan to do to people after me, it has to be stopped." Rhodonite sat up, seized Blue's hand and looked into her eyes, her own eyes gleaming with determination. "Run away with me. We can start a revolution, together! I have a vision of a free Homeworld, a looser government, happier people, and no more planet destroying. We just have to take down your sisters, and I know we can rally enough people to make an army if we convince people that our cause is just, if we prove that our philosophy of a happy Homeworld is the right one."

"I don't know...that sounds almost villainous. Besides, if we fail, the wrath of my sisters can burn worlds." Blue said quietly.

"Tell me this, according to White Diamond, there are no heroes or villains, but ask yourself, how many more people will you be helping if you join me versus them? Think about it, Blue, your sisters have never accepted you, you said it yourself, and I know you want acceptance from everyone else. I accept you, show them that you have the capabilities of a good leader, promote your compassion and intelligence and your ideas. You want to be a leader? Then you have to make the choice now, what is right and what is easy, gemkind will love you if you stop your sisters from doing the experiments. If you show your strength and courage that way and we win this battle, then you will have all the acceptance you want, plus peace and happiness for the people. Just join me, and I'll make it happen. We'll do it together, as best friends." Rhodonite replied, clenching Blue Diamond's hand tighter. "You may not believe me, but when a problem or a cause appears and it stares you in the eyes, you must seize it, that's how change happens,"

Blue Diamond was stunned, to say the least. "But, we'd be biting the hand that feeds us..." She replied, still quiet.

"It doesn't matter! We can help ourselves, and if we rally an army, they can help us too. We can even get support from the other colonies!" Rhodonite shouted, smiling excitedly. "What do you say? You can either help me or get out of my way."

Blue wasn't sure what to say, argument was clearly useless, and this was the best opportunity to maybe have a better life, and what's better, a good life with Rhodonite included. She decided to take the leap after a few minutes of rolling Rhodonite's words in her head. "I'll join you." Blue declared.

"Great! You won't regret it!" Rhodonite hugged Blue.

Blue hugged her back, reluctant, yet secure at the same time. Blue always felt at home around Rhodonite, and Rhodonite always felt at home around Blue, but Blue was nervous to be working with her, and she was nervous to rebel against the Gems that hurt her for so long.

"I say we begin plans right away, but discreetly. We have to wait just a few more days before we begin the revolution process." Rhodonite said eagerly, snapping her fingers excitedly.

"Yeah..." Blue nodded.

"We also have to sneak out to see what life is like outside the palace...Man, I'm so excited!" Rhodonite was jumping in her seat.

"Let's push that aside for now. I'm just...really glad you're back." Blue said quietly.

"I am too..." Rhodonite replied.

"What was it like when you were knocked out?" Blue Diamond asked.

"Hm, I think I had another memory to pass the time. It was really vivid, I almost forgot I was unconscious!" Rhodonite smiled.

"That's cool. What happened in it?" Blue asked a follow-up question.

"Well..." Rhodonite began telling the story. Blue listened intently, but couldn't stop thinking about what Rhodonite said, and her plans. Sure, they were good, and they would help Homeworld tremendously, but Blue knew that it would also lead to horrible things, and even worse things if they lost. However, Blue couldn't help but notice Rhodonite's Blue Diamond symbol already morphing back into a star.

* * *

 **Yay! Rhodonite's back! Did everyone miss her?**

 **I sure did.**

 **Fun fact about this episode: I wrote a rough draft sketch for this when I was first beginning the Homeworld arc, titled "The Wolf Turns", which was a reference to how they first met and it was written when I was still experimenting with Blue's character and was planning to make it more animalistic. Hehe, my plans changed really fast, probably for the better.**

 **Sorry, this chapter was so short, it's one of those annoying "filler scenes" dun, dun, dun...**

 **What did everyone think of this chapter?**


	28. CORRUPT: PART ONE

Rhodonite and Blue Diamond were sitting in the gardens by the river, planning for the revolution of course. Blue had become less reluctant to the idea, especially since Rhodonite explained all the benefits of joining her. It was night, and the moons were shining directly over them. Blue Diamond was captivated by Rhodonite's plans, or more or less, captivated by her, period. There was something about Rhodonite that Blue marvelled, and she was just interested in every aspect of Rhodonite, from the sound of her voice to her wild, dangerous look, to the melancholy, yet psycho look in her eyes, also, the way they lit when she was excited was truly remarkable to Blue, and she could not look away.

"We'll be the Crystal Gems Homeworld Division!" Rhodonite shouted, moving her hands excitedly and dramatically. "How come no one else thought of that before?"

"Well, you see...we sort of...kind of...erased you from history," Blue said hesitantly.

"What? Why? No wonder you people haven't rebelled yet, you don't know how and you think no one's done it before!" Rhodonite replied.

"I know about the Crystal Gems. The Earth was _my_ colony, and they were fighting against _me_. My sisters and I decided that the Earth was never really independent, nor did the Crystal Gems save Earth, they just delayed the inevitable from happening. The Earth is no longer seen as a functional colony, but rather the egg of a massive geoweapon that can help Gems fulfill their purpose." Blue explained.

Rhodonite's excited smile sunk into a glare. "What is the purpose?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"To conquer all worlds, duh," Blue replied as though it were an easy answer.

"Do you have _any_ idea what you're talking about?" Rhodonite growled, her eye beginning to twitch. Rhodonite hated that philosophy, mostly because it reminded her of her own beastliness, and it made her feel like some monster that was bloodthirsty and power-hungry, which she was about 90% sure she wasn't that.

"Of course, I do, I was there. I've been here for a long time." Blue shrugged.

" _I_ was there too! Myself, Rose Quartz and everyone else didn't die for that planet's independence just for you and everyone on Homeworld to say that it was a waste of time! I'm beginning to question who's side you're on, and whether or not I should just terminate you now..." Rhodonite began, her hands shaking violently. "It'd be one less _Diamond_ to worry about!"

"Rhodonite...calm down...this isn't you..." Blue said, stroking Rhodonite's back.

"Get off me!" Rhodonite abruptly threw off Blue Diamond's hand. "You want them dead too! Let's save us some trouble and take over right now!" Rhodonite shouted, her voice becoming more distorted and low, and it seemed to divide into two different tones, like two singers singing in a melancholy harmony.

"This can't be happening, not now. You gotta fight it." Blue kept trying to calm Rhodonite down as she stood up and began to lurch and squirm as she morphed into her corrupted form. The crest of Rhodonite stood on end, and the beast let out a mighty roar before beginning to stomp out of the pavilion. Blue ran after her, and when she got close enough, she jumped and grabbed onto Rhodonite's long tail. The tail moved violently up and down as the giant, six-legged lizard galloped through the halls of the palace, pounding through the floors, leaving dents and cracks in them. Blue kept climbing up the body of Rhodonite, eventually reaching the neck, where she dug her hands into her crest and held on tight, panicked, but not sure what to do.

"You can't kill them! They are practically indestructible!" Blue shouted, but she knew that Rhodonite had lost all sentient in her corruption.

The roaring, stomping creature of Rhodonite woke everyone in the palace, and everyone except for the sentries and the Diamonds evacuated from the area. As the beast lolloped its way through the palace, its giant body couldn't fit in the tight hallways, causing many fractures and holes in the infrastructure. A small army of Quartz followed the beast and watched as it crashed head first into the throne room with a roar and a flame of rebellion in its eyes, startling Yellow and White Diamond, who were discussing something. The Quartz followed Rhodonite, pulled out plasma chains, and started trying to restrain her. They started with the legs, and the army quickly diminished with a swipe of Rhodonite's tail, the few that were left, however, took away her mobility by tying up her legs with the plasma chains, a chain that would electrocute and numb whatever part they were wrapped around. The Quartz then threw a long chain over Rhodonite's neck, and with two Gems on either side, they pulled down the neck, bringing Rhodonite's head to the floor, and the same was done with the flopping tail. Blue Diamond leaped off the monster's neck, only to be snatched by her own neck by White Diamond. Rhodonite was still gnashing her jaws at whoever came close, growling and roaring. They quickly tied up Rhodonite's jaws, and Yellow Diamond climbed up on her snout, examining the creature's eyes.

"Rhodonite..." Yellow Diamond whispered in realization as the animal snorted in frustration. "Take her to the corruption lab, and send in builders to fix this mess, at once!" Yellow ordered, and everyone immediately got to work. The Quartz dragged the beast out of the throne room, leaving the three Diamonds.

"Yellow, I found Blue, riding the beast into here." White Diamond said bitterly, holding Blue Diamond tightly by the neck as she squirmed and grunted in her grasp.

Yellow strode up to Blue and stared her in the face. "Did _you_ make her corrupt?" She asked through gritted teeth.

Blue tried to shake her head no, but White's grip just tightened.

"That was going to be one of my greatest achievements. Artificial fusion, no more of this love business, a way to synthetically make stronger warriors and technicians, and you corrupted her. " Yellow growled, still with gritted teeth.

"She was always like that, and you'd know that if your experiments were actually practical." Blue tried to choke.

"Put her down, let her speak," Yellow ordered White, who reluctantly dropped Blue Diamond on the floor, where she coughed and wheezed.

Yellow bent down to the weak Blue. "I don't know what your plan is, but my experiments are practical and they will prevail. You may have just tried to kill me, but you have failed, and I know you can still be useful to us, so I have decided to spare you...However, one more suspicious act, and you will be punished severely. I'm not one to keep corrupt leaders in power."

"Then you obviously need to be impeached." Blue Diamond muttered.

Yellow's scoff quickly turned to a growl. She called in two Quartz, who entered the room instantly. "Take her to her room."

The Quartz obeyed and dragged Blue away, leaving Yellow and White.

"Corrupt...It had to be corrupt." Yellow said, rubbing her temples in frustration.

"It's not over...she could slip out of it with the right treatment...and...we finally get a chance to continue our studies. The law says we can't interfere with another Diamond's Gem unless it's an emergency...and corruption is a certified emergency, is it not? " White added, smiling devilishly.

"By Gold, you're right! As long as we don't inform Blue, I swear she's going to blow it for us in the end. For now, let's just make sure the beast doesn't escape again." Yellow replied.

* * *

"Stay back, foul beast!" A Quartz said rather dramatically as she backed Rhodonite into her cage by spearpoint. Rhodonite's crest was slicked back in defense and she was growling loudly, which had alerted all the other corrupted beasts in the cage hall of her arrival. Rhodonite would sometimes gnash her jaws or attempt to snap at the Quartz, which caused her to jump back cowardly. After several minutes, the Quartz had cornered Rhodonite into the cage and shut it. The minute the doors shut, the creature began ramming into the laser barrier, no matter how much it hurt her to do so.

The corruption lab was quite large, for it was underground, so there was plenty of space. It had the same color scheme as the palace, glassy white floors, white walls with luminous green wiring snaking through. The hallway where Rhodonite currently resided was lined with cells where other corrupted Gems growled and minded their own business.

Rhodonite looked over to the cage in front of her, where a long, slender, serpent-like, although furry, brown creature slammed its side against the left wall of its cell and met eyes with Rhodonite. The other creature looked like a Chinese Dragon, except with light brown fur instead of scales and a long, chocolate brown mane that ran down its back. Its face was feline-like, and its paws light and agile, it had a mouth full of sharp teeth and black eyes with gray irises. The creature growled, snorted out a blast of fire, then roared to Rhodonite so loudly that it shook the laser barrier, yet the barrier never broke. The grip of its consciousness had obviously slipped off the ledge of sentient.

Even in her corruption, Rhodonite seemingly sarcastically cocked an eyebrow.

After multiple hours of unspoken communication between Rhodonite and the mystery beast, both creatures had drifted into slumber...

The next morning, Rhodonite woke up, still corrupt. Two Quartzes had wrapped her snout in plasma chains and were urging her out of the cage, tugging with all their might. The beast she had conversed with last night was sitting like a dog, watching the scene. Rhodonite focused back on what was happening, her beady eyes quickly moving to the Quartzes, who could feel her gaze and trembled at the feeling. Rhodonite was finally coaxed out into the hallway, and she followed reluctantly behind the guide Quartzes, her quiet, yet pounding and thunderous footsteps echoing a rhythm.

"Have the others wrangled the other creature?" Rhodonite could hear one of the Quartzes whisper.

"I presume so. I'm surprised we didn't think of this sooner." The other one replied, still in a whisper.

"Those two were 'talking' all night, I bet they'd love a go at each other, and Yellow Diamond will be pleased to have their poofed Gems." The first one said, smirking.

The other one chuckled. "Yeah."

Rhodonite let out an annoyed snort, for she had become uncomfortable wth having her mouth being closed for so long, allowing saliva to pool in her mouth. She also knew that the Quartzes were speaking of her. She soon heard the thundering footsteps of another, and she turned her head slightly behind her to see the creature she saw last night, being lead by another pair of sentry officers. The beast had chocolate brown bangs, connected to its mane, which spilled over covered its forehead messily, and its black eyes were filled with rage, yet felt as cavernous as a black hole. It also had small white horns and bent ears tucked underneath. Rhodonite turned her head back around as they passed a cadaverous thing, a never-melting ice block which held a long, slender, eel-like creature, its mouth permanently frozen in a roar of agony, its Gem as dull and lifeless as the creature itself.

Rhodonite's eyes locked on the frozen creature, her heart begin to race with fear that that might be her fate. They soon entered a white room, except there were no wires like in the hallway. It reminded Rhodonite of the experiment rooms she had been in previously, which definitely did not ease her anxiety. The Quartzes released the two creatures and quickly scurried out of the room, leaving them to eye each other awkwardly, growling softly. The brown creature began to pace, its slender body moving fluidly, as though it were living liquid. The creature's snarl got louder, and it eventually led to Rhodonite and them circling each other, hinting at a non-sentient showdown.

Rhodonite's crest stood on end and she let out a piercing roar as she charged the other creature, who evaded by leaping gracefully out of the way. Rhodonite ended up crashing head first into the wall, leaving a large dent. She shook her body like a wet dog, snarled and ran after the brown beast again, this time managing to lock its neck in the vise of her jaws. The other beast struggled, making noises that sounded like a mix of a whimper and a snarl. It almost looked funny, seeing the brown furry creature trying to push its way out of Rhodonite's jaws by weakly pressing them against her neck as its strength died down. The brown creature exploded in a white cloud, its Gem landing on the floor with a light clink.

Suddenly, a Quartz ran into the white room, holding a powered gem destabilizer, yelling a not-so-mighty sounding battle cry as she ran towards her. Rhodonite snorted and whacked away the Quartz with her tail. The Quartz landed against the wall, but she got up and caught Rhodonite off-guard. She jabbed her with her destabilizer, causing her to poof at last.

"Hey, I finally got the devil!" The Quartz shouted excitedly as it picked out Rhodonite's Gem and carried it out.

 _Devil..._ The word was her first breath as Rhodonite appeared in her black Gem dimension...

* * *

 _ **Uuuugh this took forever.**_

 _ **I've also been procrastinating, sorry.**_

 ** _Part One of a TWO PART SPECIAL!_**

 ** _What do you guys speculate from the part to come?_**

 ** _Also: *Darth Vader voice* I find your lack of reviews disturbing... (Seriously, what happened?)_**

 ** _See ya later!_**

 ** _-AmethystGalaxy999_**


	29. CORRUPT: PART TWO

"Well, one thing about the devil, she can never be caught!" Rhodonite smirked to herself as she picked her form quickly, making sure to bear the Blue Diamond emblem for safety. Some of the determination and rebellious spirit from before had stayed within her, and granted, it was pretty difficult to dissolve from her being now that it had found such a prominent home in it. She knew that the Quartz would've been incompetent and have forgotten to bubble her, so she was able to reform easily.

"Gah!" The Quartz flinched as the Gem she was holding suddenly glowed and hovered out of her hands, forming Rhodonite.

Rhodonite landed, stretched, and summoned her tomahawk. "Yeah, remember to bubble next time." She smiled smugly.

The Quartz pulled out her Gem destabilizer. "I won't let you get away with this, beast!" She began to hold it out threateningly, causing Rhodonite to back away.

"Enough with this beast business, just call me Rho," Rhodonite said, giving a devilish, yet warm smile with the fangs she had always been insecure about, but yet she smiled often to keep up her largely false ego.

"I can call you whatever I like!" The Quartz yelled assertively.

"What's with you and the dramatic chit-chat? Just attack me already, I'm right in front of you," Rhodonite dissolved her tomahawk. "And _completely_ defenseless. Come on, don't you want fame and fortune, recognition from your stupid Diamonds?" Rhodonite tried to come off as snarky to intimidate her opponent, and it seemingly worked. She could see the Quartz trembling, hesitant to poof her, for some odd reason. She looked young, so she immediately assumed that she was a newly emerged trainee.

"Why are you hesitating? I'm making it easy for you..." Rhodonite stopped backing up, and the Quartz froze in front of her.

Rhodonite took the chance to study the Quartz since she had a feeling she was going to be conversing with her for a long time. The Quartz had about the same build as any other, broad-shouldered, tall, muscular, with long, bushy hair that was a pleasant cream color. Her skin was a very light powder blue with a slight iridescence, but not much. Much like a Jasper, her skin was two toned, a majority of it was the blue and it had markings which were a whitish-gray-silver color. The glittering blue Gem of hers was placed just below the side of her shoulder. Her silverish-blue eyes were fearful, yet eager, like a child waiting in line for a rollercoaster. She also bore the Blue Diamond emblem.

"So, what's your name, newbie?" Rhodonite asked.

"A-Aura Quartz, loyal soldier of B-Blue Diamond." The Quartz stuttered. She looked up at the small emblem on Rhodonite's chest. "And apparently, so are you?"

"The Diamond and I are very good friends, actually," Rhodonite said.

"H-How? Why would the glorious Blue Diamond be friends with a monster like you?" Aura Quartz asked.

"I don't know, myself, but looking at her gardens, she must have a knack for "bloodthirsty monsters", such as myself." Rhodonite shrugged. "So about that capture, are we gonna do this or...like what are we doing here?"

Aura Quartz swallowed nervously. "Uuuum..." She stuttered before shaking her head as a way to get back on task. "I will now poof you and take you to my Diamond, it's my order, my calling and I will serve it!" Aura said, faking a jab at Rhodonite's chest with her destabilizer.

"Oh _really_? Is it _really_ your calling, or is it what everyone _says_ is your calling?" Rhodonite asked, studying her nails as if uninterested.

Aura threw her hands up in frustration. "Gah! Quit messing with me, devil! I will refuse your temptation!"

"You call me a devil, and oh, I believe it, but this isn't a temptation, it's the truth. Just come with me, and you'll be free." Rhodonite was now backed up against a closed elevator door. She held out her hand acceptingly to Aura, while she pried the elevator door open with the other, revealing the ominous black hole going straight down, the only signal of life was the wires climbing up the shaft.

Aura was hesitant once again, arguing in her head about Rhodonite's offer. I mean, this Gem had been corrupt and had been a terrifying horror story shared by her peers. Aura knew exactly who this Gem was, a forced fusion, an unstable, disgraceful being that should not exist. What if this sly, quick, despicable Gem was lying about freedom, or her hospitality was fake? If Aura decided to join her, and it have been a hoax, then she would've been considered defective, traitorous, thrown out onto the streets, lonely, homeless, scavenging for anything...No, she could not bear the thought, all she knew was that she had to make a decision now.

"I'm sorry, but I decline your offer," Aura said, closing her eyes as though she were accepting dire, disappointing news, like a child upon realizing her best friend must move away.

Rhodonite summoned her tomahawk. "How disappointing, but remember, you always have a choice to change!" Rhodonite grabbed onto one of the elevator wires, snipped the other wire adjacent to her, which caused her to fly up the shaft to the surface.

Aura Quartz looked up the shaft with her mouth agape with worry and awe. Then scurried to the warp pad on the other side of the corruption facility and tried to find Rhodonite as fast as she could.

 _I have to know more._

 _No, I have to catch her._

 _But can't you see, she can help you!_

 _No, follow orders._

Aura's mind was conflicted, but she was still very focused on the task at hand.

 _Find Rhodonite._

* * *

Rhodonite jumped out of the elevator shaft and dissolved her tomahawk.

 _Gotta get Blue, gotta get Blue._ Her thoughts raced.

The palace was practically a labyrinth, so it was difficult for Rhodonite to know where she was. She just knew she was in some hallway and she was running fast away from the elevator that connected the corruption lab to the surface. In fact, the hallways were like a barren desert, a tight tube of white, and the twists and turns were the only things that kept Rhodonite's reality intact. The first real burst of color was when she ran into a bright yellow figure.

Just her luck, it was a Citrine Quartz, bearing the Yellow Diamond emblem standing sternly in front of her. She recognized the soldier as one of the Quartzes that led her to what she called "The Gladiator Poofing Room", Rhodonite always had her own names for things on Homeworld. She had smacked right into the breasts of the figure, then fell backward onto the floor.

"Aw, geez that's gonna hurt for a week!" Rhodonite groaned to herself as she rubbed her tailbone. She was abruptly grabbed and lifted by the shirt so she was face-to-face with the Citrine.

"State your purpose and your identity." The Citrine said snappily, powering on a Gem destabilizer. (At this point, Rhodonite was getting sick of seeing the same old weapons and the same old paint color palette and the same old Gems everywhere she went.)

"Uuuuum...I'm...Rhodochrosite! Yes! Here for a visit..." Rhodonite decided to lie, and granted she knew that lies wouldn't help her in the long haul, but sometimes a good fib is powerful enough to save your life.

The Quartz pulled up a holographic screen on her arm and flipped through what looked to be records. "The only Rhodochrosite to ever live died several thousand years ago in the Gem War. You aren't fooling anyone. What's your _real_ identity and your _real_ purpose?" The Citrine growled.

"I know who she is." Rhodonite recognized the voice of Yellow Diamond coming up behind her, but she didn't dare turn her head from the Citrine's gaze.

"My Diamond." The aggressive Citrine immediately sounded shaky as she dropped Rhodonite back on the floor and made the Diamond signal with her arms, standing perfectly still, legs together, head up respectively.

Rhodonite looked up at Yellow Diamond. "Oh, Gold..." She whispered.

"This is the corrupted Gem you were assigned to, the one who stormed the throne room," Yellow said.

"But, she doesn't look corrupt anymore..." The Citrine mumbled.

"That doesn't matter at the moment, who was your partner, and why did she let it escape? Your orders were to poof, bubble, and bring it to me for further experimentation. Who was your partner, and what happened?" Yellow's tone instantly became snapping and authoritative, and her voice was the kind that was regal, poised, serious, and enough to make anyone squeamish to wet their pants.

"Rho!" A voice shouted, along with quick, yet heavy footsteps coming down the hall.

"Oh, who is it now?" Citrine growled.

"Aura!" Rhodonite immediately recognized the call. _Maybe she had come back for me?_ Rhodonite thought excitedly.

"Halt, I now recall, you were the Citrine's partner, and you let the creature escape!" Yellow shouted, which caused Aura to skid to a stop beside Citrine.

"I-It was an accident, I swear, common mistake." Aura stuttered, frozen in the "Diamond arm-signal, completely stiff" stance.

"There are no accidents, don't make your Diamond regret giving you such a prestigious position so early in your training. One more mishap and I will have to assume you defective. You know our expectations, now meet them or suffer the consequences." Yellow said loud and clear in a scolding way.

Yes, my Diamond." Aura replied obediently.

"I'll be sure to report to your manager of your incompetence, Aura Quartz, and she will be the judge of your further punishment. Citrine, head back to the corruption lab, new orders are awaiting there. As for you, devil, you will be coming with me." Yellow Diamond ordered coldly and bitterly. She picked Rhodonite up by the scruff of the neck and strode away, Citrine departed as well, leaving Aura alone in the deserted hallway.

* * *

Yellow Diamond carried Rhodonite by the neck through the corridor, despite Rhodonite's squirming. Yellow glared at every squirm, and Rhodonite had no idea where she was going, but she knew it was nowhere good so she tried to escape with everything she had. She was in no position to reach her weapon, so she was defenseless there, but escape was enough for her at the moment.

Yellow stopped in front of a white door that camouflaged with the wall, in fact, it startled Rhodonite when it slid open automatically. Yellow grumbled to herself and threw Rhodonite into the room. Rhodonite let out a startled yell, and the minute she caught her bearings from the toss and turned around, the door slid shut and the beep of the lock cried tauntingly in her ears. Like a dog with separation anxiety, Rhodonite threw her body against the door and pounded hard, calling for help. The room was pitch black, who knows, she could've been hitting a wall, but she knew it was in the direction of the door, and that was good enough.

"Rhodonite." Yellow Diamond's voice echoed through the room, there must've been some sort of intercom. It felt strange, though, as though it were Rhodonite's conscious speaking to her, even though she knew it wasn't. The whole thing was eerie.

"What do you want this time? This is the last time you capture me, when Blue hears about this..." Rhodonite growled only to be interrupted.

"Don't bring my sister into this, she doesn't need to know of our little chat," Yellow said.

"What do you want to know from me?" Rhodonite asked. "I'm not going to be giving any answers to you."

"Oh, you're willing to trust my sister, Blue, who has done way worse deeds than I, but not me? Where's the fairness in that?" Yellow answered with a question.

"What has Blue done?" Rhodonite asked.

"Typical, she hasn't told you. Make herself look _innocent_...she thinks she's _clever_ enough, and that you're _stupid_ enough to not pursue the _truth_. _She_ was the one who planned to suck out the Earth's life, don't you recall fighting her? Don't you remember getting _whipped, beaten, prodded_ by the same Gem thousands of years ago? Even today in your new form, you still bear the scars on your back, but you choose to ignore them...Why? You refuse to _remember_...you refuse to recall that _she_ is at fault." Yellow's words were honeyed, deceptive.

"No...don't you _dare_ say it. I won't listen." Rhodonite said defiantly.

"Oh, but you have no choice." The volume on the intercom crescendoed. " _She_ is responsible for everything, don't you see? If it weren't for _her_ , you could be _alive_... _truly alive_...what you are right now isn't alive, just zombified, you're merely a _ghost_ , a _shadow_ , a _nightmare_...a _devil._ " Yellow continued.

Rhodonite's breathing grew quick and heavy, her eye began to twitch and her hands shook.

"You believe it...yes...And I know _exactly_ how my sister makes you _feel_ , she makes you feel alive, accepted, _loved_...and I know you love her. You have to fight it! It's a mirage, don't you see? My sister is tricking you, seducing you, _I_ am simply trying to help you. She won't protect you, but I will, you will be my first priority..." Yellow Diamond was articulate with her words, yet sometimes she would say words with extra bite...She was a snake, and her words were quiet hisses in the night..some, however, some words were venomous bites that stung deep, and it happened to be the ones she put the most emphasis on. They left Rhodonite empty...slipping off the edge of sanity.

"No, I won't accept it," Rhodonite said, as a way to insure herself.

"Oh but you will...Love fades, it is a temporary thing, yet so many people risk everything for it. It's one of the things that makes humans so foolish, and now Gems do it too? On Earth, they fuse for it? Ha! Unbelievable...that planet is certainly not worth your time, yet you lost everything the minute you joined them so many years ago, Sodalite. You took this on yourself, this torture." Yellow continued to monolog. "And you are so blinded by my sister's tricks, that you're forgetting about who you loved...Howlite! That naive soldier White Diamond seemed to adore. Are you willing to forgive what Blue Diamond and her forces did to you, her, your relationship?"

"What do you know about our relationship?" A fire lit in Rhodonite's eyes. No one talks about her past lives like that, no one calls her by her previous name as if it were a slur, and no one mentions Howlite, nor their relationship.

"I know that you loved her, Sodalite, and she loved you, but my sister is like a forest fire, she takes all that is beautiful and chars it black and weak, like you...your being is as frail as a flake of ash. I can see your heart, Sodalite, and you are at your breaking point. Why? Oh yes, your life was not only taken from you, but you now must live through hell as you are a disgrace to gemkind, a mere mistake, a horrifying tale that Gems tell late at night...not only that, you must deal with the pain of being stuck, thrown together, watching what you once had pass you by through dreams and have fits of corruption every time you feel something real. It's only a matter of time before you realize what you are...you are a Cluster, not Rhodonite. You are not a Crystal Gem, or a Gem at all, a mindless monster meant to destroy anything that stands in its path...in our path." Yellow said.

Yellow's words were like the sharpest claws, the sharpest knives, jabbing into her, twisting deeper and deeper through her everything, her being, her psyche, her heart...The longer she talked to Yellow like this, it didn't feel like she was being persuaded by her nemesis, but more like her own inner demons were closing in on her, wielding the most powerful of weapons, ready to pounce on her and suffocate her with shadows. For a second, she believed Yellow Diamond...she actually doubted Blue Diamond's affections. Rhodonite felt corruption coming on, but held it in, desperately tried to control it, if not for spite, but so that she may not be controlled. Tears welled in her eyes as she fell to her knees.

"Why are you hiding it, Sodalite? ACCEPT IT ALREADY! BE WHO YOU _REALLY_ ARE!" Yellow yelled.

"No! I may be a monster, but the only thing I will be destroying is your tyranny over this planet and the many other ones!" Rhodonite stood up proud, her face stained with tears.

"What? Tyranny? No, no, absolutely not...you've got it all wrong... What has my sister been telling you?" Yellow Diamond tried to calm Rhodonite down.

"These aren't lies, don't try to swindle me!" Rhodonite shouted.

"You don't want me as your enemy, Sodalite! My wrath burns more than my sister's lies! Don't test me, this is bigger than you are!" Yellow Diamond became hostile in her tone.

"I'm willing to face those odds, let's go, monster against monster!" Rhodonite yelled back.

"You'll regret crossing me..." Yellow said as Rhodonite felt a large, mallet like mechanism whack her from the side and throw her against the wall...

POOF! A white cloud of smoke was covered by the blackness of the room.

* * *

 _ **A beast's promise is not one to be broken...**_

 **THE EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE TWO PART SPECIAL!**

 **This one took a lot of time so reviews are definitely encouraged!**

 **I really barfed a lot of emotion here...**

 **One thing I want to have...an FAQ! PM me a question...it could be anything, about me, the story, whatevs. Then we can all be good buddies and it'll all be peachy! :)**

 **(Reminder: This next chapter may take longer than usual, since it is quite long.)**


	30. Story For Sodalite

Everything was black to Howlite.

Of course, she had been blind for almost a year and a half, due to the awful augmentation failure the Great Diamond Authority gave her back on Homeworld. Howlite couldn't quite describe where she was, what she was doing, or who she was even talking to just because of her blindness. Maybe she could just say that she was sitting in a room with no lights, talking to a shadow person.

Sodalite, however, could describe what was happening.

The two Gems were sitting in a warmly lit, small, pale pink room which had one large window that showed a beautiful view of the Beach City shoreline. They were sitting on two, little, white, cushioned, square shaped seats. Sodalite was holding Howlite's left shoulder and keeping her upright because Howlite swayed often and had a hard time with balance.

"Even if we can't get your visual health back to what it was before, mental state is just as important. The healing begins when we address the issue. Now," Sodalite scooted forward in her seat so that she may be closer to Howlite. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Howlite wasn't sure how to respond, she still didn't quite trust the shadow stranger, even after a few months of working with her, or maybe, Howlite just didn't want to talk about her past on Homeworld, or worse, what happened. She just blinked, even though it never really did much anymore.

"Oh come on, you can trust me," Sodalite said gently.

Howlite closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Well, it begins a year and a half ago, back on Homeworld..." Howlite began her story...

* * *

BOOM!

A long, metal arrow with a small, but powerful detonator on the tip of it hit its target, a dummy of a large figure that looked like a fusion. The detonator exploded once it landed upon the dummy, disintegrating it in a fiery inferno and leaving no trace that the dummy was ever there, except maybe some charred material left over smeared on the ground.

"Whoo! Nice shot Howlite!" An orange but slightly opalescent Gem shouted, patting the white Gem on the back as she relaxed her arms and lowered her bow.

"Thanks! Another one bites the dust I guess...Those Crystal Gems won't know what hit 'em!" The white Gem, Howlite said, smiling.

"Yeah, I think you are the best sharpshooter in the galaxy! No match for a bunch of defective Earthlings!" The orange Gem said.

"Aw, now you're just saying that. I think you are about as good as me, Fire Opal." Howlite replied.

Howlite's shooting partner/apprentice, Fire Opal, was a tall Gem with orange, opalescent skin, salmon pink, long, bushy hair that was kept in a ponytail, and eyes like a fiery storm. Fire Opal wore salmon pink leggings with white diamond prints on each knee, along with a tank top that was a bright yellow. She had a "Pear" body shape, along with plump lips and long, muscular legs.

The two Gems were training for war. The Gem War was young, yes, and the whole idea of Crystal Gems, fighting for Earth, and the philosophy of Rose Quartz was just bursting onto the scene. Howlite was renowned for her excellent, natural marksmanship and battle strategy, and the Diamonds treasured and praised her for her military achievements. Fire Opal, or Fi for short, was her apprentice, who was hopeful to be just as legendary as her mentor someday.

"I wonder if we'll get shipped to Earth for a mission? That'd be fun, wipe the whole lot out, and we'd get more rewards from the Diamonds!" Fire Opal said excitedly.

"Man, you can't go wrong with fame and fortune." Howlite grinned.

"It's what I live for!" Fire Opal shouted.

"Now, I think you are too young to already be contaminated by greed." Howlite scolded.

"Come on! Can't I grow up faster? I know you'd be down with it." Fire Opal smiled, then began to walk away from the training grounds.

Howlite followed Fire Opal, pondering whether she could count herself as a bad influence for the young, eager Gem in front of her. She often wondered if she was fighting for the right side, or if war was the right thing, but fighting was all she knew, she was made for it and even during peace time, her mind was fighting itself, or she was training for the next war.

Fire Opal skipped her way to the barracks where she and Howlite resided, whilst Howlite sauntered tiredly behind her. The barracks were a simple hangout area, no beds, no need for anything really, just a space where soldiers can sit, talk, play a few rounds of cards and other games, and maybe have a few drinks. Howlite and Fire Opal were the only soldiers in their barrack that weren't some sort of Quartz or Ruby, the rest were a herd of burly women who often had playful fist fights and were extremely loud and barbaric.

"Howlite! Hey, how you doin'?" A bluish-green Quartz asked as she punched an Amethyst in the face.

"Pretty good," Howlite replied as she shoved away an oncoming mint green Quartz that was falling backward into her.

"Training go well?" An Agate asked.

"Yeah, what'd you expect?" Howlite said, stopping at a bar manned by a Fluorite who looked rather traumatized. "Drink please." Howlite slammed her fist on the table.

The bluish-green Quartz sat on the barstool next to Howlite, and her weight caused the stool to sag. She asked for a drink as well, then turned to Howlite.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" The bluish-green Quartz asked flirtily.

Howlite received her drink, took a sip, then slammed it down. "What makes you think you can talk to me like that?"

The Quartz shrugged. "I just figured, I mean, we've been in these barracks for a while, so I would consider you approachable. Also, you are just a sight for sore vision spheres, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I know what you mean, and my answer is hell no," Howlite said brusquely.

"Aw come on! I know you aren't busy! It could be fun!" The Quartz pleaded.

"As much as I like to see you beg, I'd much rather see you leave," Howlite replied coldly, studying her nails and taking occasional sips.

"But-" The Quartz tried to speak.

"Leave, now, Chalcedony," Howlite ordered.

The Quartz, Chalcedony, left in a slump. Fire Opal took her seat, smiling big as usual, her eyes on Chalcedony as she walked over to a group of other Quartzes, who scolded her saying things like, "What kind of flirting was that?"

"What was that all about?" Fire Opal asked.

"It's nothing," Howlite replied quietly and brusquely.

Fire Opal gasped in realization, then let out a small, fanatical squeal. "Did Chalcedony just ask you out?"

Howlite rolled her eyes and diverted them from Fire Opal. "Yeah, how unprofessional." She crossed her arms.

"That's not unprofessional! That's awesome! I wish someone would ask me out." Fire Opal said.

"Look, we have a war to win. Word on the street is, the diplomats that the Diamonds sent to try to stop the Gem War failed. This isn't over, and until it is, I can't get distracted." Howlite snapped.

Fire Opal looked away from Howlite's intense gaze. "I guess you are right...I'm sorry."

Howlite's eyes widened at the sight of Fire Opal's lament. Howlite couldn't blame her, Fire Opal was only 1,000 years old, of course, she would be curious, naive, childish, and maybe a little bit right. Howlite felt like Fire Opal didn't deserve to be stuck in such a rough environment at such a young age, but that was just how Gem society worked, you emerged from the ground, usually on some distant, lifeless planet, and it's straight to training.

"I gotta go," Howlite said, getting off the stool and heading towards the door.

"Hey wait! Where are you going?" Fire Opal asked, jumping out of her chair and running after her.

"Out," Howlite replied as she grabbed her bow, quiver, and supply bag and slung them over her shoulder. She opened the barrack door, walked out and slammed it behind her.

Fire Opal stopped at the shut door, she reached for the knob, only to have her arm grabbed by a Ruby.

"I think she wants to be alone." The Ruby said.

"No one wants to be alone." Fire Opal replied as she shook off the Ruby's hand and ran out the door after Howlite.

* * *

Yellow Diamond paced across the throne room floor, muttering to herself as her two sisters watched.

"Ugh, those stupid Crystal Gems...and it had to be Rose Quartz too, one of our best leaders!" Yellow muttered.

"Yes, now Sapphire is gone too..." Blue added.

"Shouldn't we prepare for war if we know Sapphire and her associates failed?" White asked.

"Of course, we should!" Yellow stopped in front of them and raised her voice. "But how? Yes, our soldiers have been training, but without Rose Quartz, how are we supposed to get battle strategies, ideas? She was our greatest asset and now, we are fighting her!"

"Rose is not our only strategist," Blue said.

"Well, she was our winning strategist, and we can't use any other Quartz, you know they don't have all their lights on upstairs!" Yellow argued.

"We can use Howlite." White snapped her fingers in realization.

Yellow face-palmed. "White, could you please stop gushing over that Gem. I know you made her, but she is no Rose Quartz."

"I think she is on to something," Blue added.

"How so? Please, enthrall me with your glorious plan, defect." Yellow said mockingly.

Blue furrowed her eyebrows, then stood with pride as she told her plan. "Howlite may not be Rose Quartz, but we can definitely improve her, and she is all for working in our favor. She is loyal, she has military talent, she has made winning battle strategies before, and she is all business. Howlite has the potential to be even more powerful than Rose Quartz. We can modify her body with a series of augmentations, so that she may be stronger, smarter, faster, and have improved senses. Her marksmanship is excellent already, she is strong and has a good brain, but we can make it better."

Yellow's eyes widened, along with White's.

"So you're saying, we make a super soldier," Yellow said.

"Yes, and if Howlite works out, we can make an army of these soldiers, and wipe out anyone who dare defy us...forever, no more Crystal Gems," Blue replied, clenching her fist with determination.

White looked over to Blue, and nodded in approval, Yellow did the same. Blue was desperate for the approval of her sisters, so this was enough to make her shake with delight and blush.

"Jasper! Ametrine! Fetch me Howlite at once!" Yellow ordered.

The two guards standing at the door nodded and ran out of the room.

* * *

Shing!

Howlite had her complete focus on the hologram in front of her. She blocked every incoming thrust with exceptional grace, and her thrusts were quick and powerful.

"I usually don't mind soldiers coming up here to practice, but I don't really think you need it..." The Pearl that Howlite grabbed to project the holograms said from the sidelines as she projected another holo-Pearl holding a sword.

"Of course, I need practice, we have a war coming up," Howlite grunted as she blocked another attempt to run her through from the hologram.

"If you say so..." The Pearl said.

Howlite was practicing in one of Homeworld's many Sky Arenas, where battles were fought, as well as gladiator fights took place for entertainment. Pearls were the only Gems Howlite knew that could project holograms, so she happened to snag one to help her practice her swordplay. It was nighttime, and the sky was a deep lilac with crystal stars, however, the Sky Arena lit up at night, especially the designs on the floor, which radiated light blue, except for the Great Diamond Authority logo in the center.

Fire Opal took a space taxi to the Sky Arena and stopped in the doorway to see Howlite sword fighting. She walked out into the Sky Arena, almost tripping over Howlite's lazily placed supplies.

"Howlite!" Fire Opal called.

Howlite turned around abruptly. "Fi..." She replied quietly before almost getting stabbed by the Holo-Pearl. She dodged and sliced through the Holo-Pearl. "Ugh! What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" Howlite asked with a grunt.

"You don't need to practice. You shouldn't be so stressed." Fire Opal said gently as she approached Howlite slowly.

"I have a right to be stressed. You wouldn't understand..." Howlite replied, tightening her grip on her sword.

"No, you don't. What's bothering you? I can understand if you let me." Fire Opal asked.

"I-" Howlite began before she was interrupted.

"Stop!" Howlite and Fire Opal turned around to see two soldiers, Quartz-like Gems. One had two toned orange skin and orange and black clothes, the other had two toned purple and yellow skin, and her outfit matched.

The purple and yellow Quartz ran over and grabbed Howlite by her wrists. "You have been selected by the Diamonds for a special mission, they advise that we hurry, no dawdling."

"Wait! What is the mission? When are you coming back?" Fire Opal asked, running after the Quartz.

"I can say nothing with any certainty, ma'am, but I would assume...never." The purple and yellow Quartz replied.

"Never? That's impossible, I need her to come back! What about training?" Fire Opal protested.

"Oh yes, you will be assigned a new mentor tomorrow." The Quartz said emotionlessly.

"Wait, you have to, at least, give me an explanation!" Fire Opal shouted. She noticed that Howlite conflicted on whether or not to try and free herself or let them take her.

"Please, go back to your post, and remember that this is all for the greater good. Have a good night." The Quartz ordered as she threw Howlite into the backseat of a space taxi.

"Fi!" Howlite shouted. Fire Opal's teary eyes were locked on her. "Take care of them for me," She said gently as the orange soldier climbed into the seat in front of Howlite and slammed the door. The purple and yellow Quartz got in the seat next to the driver, who looked just as afraid as Fire Opal was.

"Step on it!" The Quartz shouted before slamming the taxi door and riding away, leaving Fire Opal.

"Howlite..." Fire Opal said quietly, breathlessly, yet her voice still hung with sadness. She let a few tears roll and splatter on the floor, before taking a deep sniffle and regaining her composure. She stomped back into the Sky Arena in anger, much to the Pearl's surprise. Fire Opal grabbed Howlite's supplies and slung them over her shoulder.

"Come with me." Fire Opal ordered.

"Where are you going? What's going on?" The Pearl asked as she stood up and ran after Fire Opal.

"I'm going back to the barracks." Fire Opal grunted as she hailed another taxi, the Pearl stopped beside her.

"Might I ask why?" The Pearl asked.

"A Gem of your status shouldn't ask questions." Fire Opal replied brusquely as the two got into the taxi and drove away in silence.

* * *

"Gah! Let go of me, will ya?" Howlite shouted as she squirmed in the arms of the two soldiers. The white halls of the Diamond Palace were quiet, so quiet that you could hear the heavy clanking of the soldier's leg armor.

"Absolutely not, we were ordered to keep you restrained at all cost." The purple and yellow Quartz, Ametrine grunted.

Howlite groaned, then let the Quartzes carry her to the Diamond throne room...she remembered when she first walked in there, and she was assigned to the Diamond in which she would serve for the rest of her life, White Diamond. Ever since then, she was stuffed in a barracks with the rest of the Quartzes and Rubies of the same assignment, and she always bore the White Diamond crest on her chest.

She walked into the throne room with the Quartzes, and as she got to the center, she muttered a few words and shook off the Quartzes arms, and they returned back to their stations. Howlite looked up to see the three Diamonds looking down at her, judgementally.

"I see she grew up to be a feisty one," Yellow whispered.

"Yes, she will be a good, ruthless soldier," White whispered back.

Howlite turned to White Diamond. "My Diamond, what do you request of me?"

White chuckled. "They certainly trained you well. Well, my sisters and I are very proud of your progress as a soldier, and you will be assigned to a mission shortly. For now, we're having a party tonight, to celebrate you. Get ready, and make it quick, we'll see you there." White Diamond snapped her fingers and two Pearls ran in to assist Howlite. "Take care of her," White said as Howlite was lead out of the throne room.

The Pearls stripped her and dressed her in a slinky, long, black dress, giggling and fawning all the way. The Pearls also unbraided her hair, leaving the thick, black, wavy waterfall to touch and drag on the floor. Howlite was nervous for the party, but she tried to keep it from fazing her. She always hated fear, she saw it as vulnerability, along with love and sadness. The barracks were always rough, and she quickly learned that there was no room for emotion in the life of a Gem soldier, and she often despised her humanity whenever it peeked it's head to far above the surface of her thought pool. Howlite took a deep breath, slipped on her black, sleek high heels, and the Pearls came to escort her.

"I don't need your protection." Howlite snapped as she walked to the party room with confidence and perfect posture. The Pearls listened to her and followed close behind.

Howlite entered the party room, and it was everything she expected of a Gem party, techno music, darkness with flashing multicolored lights, and the silhouettes of the other partygoers dancing rhythmically, but careful not to accidentally fuse. She immediately decided that she was not in a mood to dance, so she quickly picked up a drink at the mini-bar and decided to talk to the aristocrats who were stationary, although they seemed to be busy all clawing for the Diamond's attention as they sat on the lavish thrones not paying attention to any of them.

"Ah! If it isn't the Gem of the hour! Howlite! Come, have a seat." White Diamond shouted, then shoved a Pearl off the armrest of her throne and patted it, beckoning Howlite to sit.

Howlite sat on the armrest and watched the other partygoers, taking occasional sips of her drink just like she did in the barracks. White tapped her on the shoulder.

"How are the beverages?" White asked, her voice honeyed.

"Mm, pretty good," Howlite said quietly.

"Are you sure you don't want to dance? It'll be fun...you better let loose before your mission..." White whispered in Howlite's ear with a hint of charm speak.

"Nah, I'm not a dancer." Howlite turned White down.

"What about dancing with me? We could outdo everyone here, just say yes..." White whispered.

White Diamond had always possessed hypnotic abilities, and they worked well at breaking the nearly impenetrable walls that Howlite had. Howlite followed White Diamond onto the dance floor, still mesmerized. White had summoned her two ivory fans, and a zesty, yet techno tune had begun to play as she began to do a mix of belly dancing, salsa, and flamenco, shaking her hips and waving the fans elegantly, moving closer and closer to Howlite, who had begun an awkward ballet routine. White did a precise twirl before grabbing Howlite's hand and pulling her close, so close that their faces and bodies were almost touching. White Diamond pressed her fan against Howlite's cheek, then let it glide down her face and lift up Howlite's chin. She pulled the fan off of Howlite's face, then the two did a synchronized twirl away from each other. During the twirl, White grabbed Howlite by the hand again so that Howlite couldn't escape, pulled her in for a final dip, and as Howlite slid in toward White and got poofed by White by sliding into her fan blade.

The sudden cloud of smoke didn't faze the guests as much as you think, instead, they saw it as an effect, like a fog machine. The guests cheered and kept dancing, whilst White picked up Howlite's lifeless, prism-shaped Gem, smirking to herself. She walked over to her sisters, who were just as happy to see the Gem in White's hands as she was. They left the party room to get the lab ready, for they already had the augmentation built.

* * *

Howlite's eyes blinked open, only to be blinded by a bright light. She laid in the same old dentist chair, strapped in tight, and her eyes darted left and right as she watched scientists, medics, and technicians dart back and forth across the lab, fiddling with paperwork, fumbling with chemicals and materials. Suddenly, a pair of golden yellow eyes met hers. Howlite recognized them as Yellow Diamond's, but her face was covered mostly by a surgeon's mask and her hair covered by white cloth.

"What are you doing?" Howlite growled, baring her teeth.

"Getting you ready for your mission." Yellow Diamond replied.

"Shouldn't my own Diamond be operating on me?" Howlite asked.

"Oh, she is. Now please forgive us, we ran out of anesthetics this morning. This may sting a little, and remember, this is all for the greater good." Yellow Diamond said, pulling safety goggles over her eyes.

"T-The greater good." Howlite managed to stutter quietly. She didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid, she was shaking in her chair. It's not every day you're stripped from your routine, poofed at a party and regenerated into some strange surgery.

She suddenly felt cold hands touching her Gem. Howlite looked down to see a medic, who looked like a Fluorite, dusting it off and polishing it for who knows what. She stepped away and turned to Yellow Diamond. Howlite caught a bit of their conversation.

"Her Gem is ready, my Diamond. When she was poofed, we applied the augmentation into her Gem, now all we must do is perform it on her eyes." The Fluorite said quietly.

Howlite cocked an eyebrow, then squinted in suspicion. She saw Yellow Diamond nod, then the shadows of two medics loomed over her, holding menacing-looking metal tools. The kind that cut, prod, snip, and transform. Howlite never thought that the information was relevant, but she realized within that time that she had an irrational fear of these tools. The tools approached her face, and she shut her eyes tight, but one medic pried her left eye open with her cold rubber gloves and began operating.

Sting. Yeah right. This was not just a sting, more like the most excruciating pain that Howlite had ever experienced, and she had been shot three times in one battle. This pain caused her to cry out no matter how hard she tried to hold it in. Not only could she not blink so her eyes were dry, her eyes were being stabbed, jabbed, and cut open with the tools, and the pain was as painful as it sounds, even worse. Not only that, every few minutes, the medics would spray a weird cleansing substance in her eyes, which felt like corrosive acid. After around fifteen minutes featuring many spectrums of ache, burn, and the sound of tearing tissue, and not to mention, Howlite lost vision in her left eye, it was onto the second one, which felt three times worse because of the existing soreness in her left one.

"How is she holding up?" White Diamond's voice cut through the agonized cries of Howlite.

"Fine." The medics replied in unison.

"Fine? Do I sound fine?" Howlite shouted before wailing in pain again.

"That's perfectly normal, especially without anesthetics." White Diamond replied. "Now, could you hurry up? The faster this one gets done the sooner we can move onto more augmentations."

"More augmentations?" Howlite asked with a quiver in her voice. She wanted to cry but knew she couldn't. Surprisingly, her mind wandered back to Fire Opal, her starstruck attitude, her encouragement, her innocence...Howlite felt like she needed to be everything that Fire Opal thought she was, and if this helped her fulfill it, then she was going to do it. "I'll do it." She added impulsively, but yet her determined voice hung with security and sureness.

"Excellent. Now resume, I don't wish to slow the procedure." White Diamond exited gracefully but slammed the door behind her.

The procedure continued, and the pain resumed, along with the loud cries of Howlite. She could tell the surgery was reaching its end, because her vision began to cloud darker and darker, like an eclipse. By the time it ended, everything was black.

* * *

"What do you mean she's blind?" Yellow Diamond screeched at a Fluorite, who flinched and held her head low as Yellow screamed.

"Yes, my Diamond. We're not sure how long she's going to stay like this, she's certainly not good for anything at this point. In fact, according to our speculations, you may have just permanently blinded one of your greatest assets." The Fluorite replied, looking at a holo-screen on her arm.

"Don't explain to me my failures! Discard her! Cast her with all the other defects, see if I care. Now do it quickly, a blind Gem is no use to us here." Yellow Diamond commanded, dismissing the Fluorite with a frustrated wave of her hand.

Howlite was sitting on the guest bed, oblivious to what was happening. She assumed her blindness was merely a temporary effect, and all she had to do was sit for a few days and her vision would be back to normal. Boy, was she ever wrong. Howlite patted her knees rhythmically as she enjoyed the silence. The Fluorite entered the room with a loud creak of the door, accompanied by a Jasper, unbeknownst to Howlite.

"The Diamonds request of you." The Fluorite said cooly as the Jasper lifted Howlite by the arms.

Howlite did not argue, she trusted the Diamonds despite the pain she had experienced. It wasn't just naivety that fueled this trust, but also the fact that she had been under the Diamonds' allegiance her whole life, and there was really nowhere else to turn. The Fluorite and Jasper led Howlite to the docking port for a spaceship, manned by an Agate. All it took was a single look for the Agate to understand what was happening. The Agate took Howlite and left the Fluorite and Quartz. She took Howlite to the escape pod where she would be shot off into the void of space. Howlite was oblivious as the ship took off silently and quickly, soon traveling out into depths of space, warping to a separate galaxy, even. The Agate pressed a few buttons on the controls with cheery beeps, and with that, the escape pod shook violently and blasted off into space.

"I have discarded the pod, now making the return back to Homeworld." The Agate spoke into a communications device before turning her ship around and blasting back off to Homeworld in hyperspace.

Howlite had no clue what was happening, but fear teemed through her like an electric shock as soon as the pod shook. Her hands slammed against the walls of the escape pod and she felt around. She pounded her fists on the walls soon after, but to no avail, she was trapped. How could she be betrayed so easily? It didn't matter where she was to know that, whether be some rehab center, torture chamber, dungeon, or worse, an escape pod, she still knew exactly what the Diamonds whom she trusted for so long did. They never were proud of her, no, they simply were trying to get rid of her...But why? She thought... Howlite felt like she did everything she was correct, in fact, she even won battles for them in multiple wars. It was all too much...She sacrificed her life, her inner peace, her relationships and emotions for her Diamonds, only to be tossed away like a messed up doodle. Howlite began to sob, although it caused more pain in her eyes, but she didn't care. She hadn't cried in a long time, and let's just say it was long overdue.

The pod continued to drift deeper and deeper into the silence of deep space...

* * *

After three days of drifting, Howlite's pod began to plummet into the atmosphere of a blue planet known as Earth. It was a young planet, not light to show through the night, just land and sea. No sign of civilization. As gravity pulled the pod down faster, Howlite's insides thundered like a bass drum. Closer and closer to the surface she plummeted, and she crept back into the back of the pod, where she braced for the hard impact onto the surface...

* * *

Ba Bum, Ba Bum, Ba Bum...

The quick, heavy pounding of Howlite's insides drowned out everything else, but there were faint hints of the popping, sparking wires that were destroyed in the crash, the crackle of green flames, and the light howl of the cold winter wind. Or at least, that's what Howlite thought they were. Despite all efforts, Howlite couldn't regain her sight, but she decided to try and heighten her senses by climbing out of the destroyed escape pod. Once she found her way out through feeling, she fell face first into what felt like snow. Howlite adjusted to the cold quickly and decided to crawl around on her hands and knees and feel around, although she was still shaky and traumatized from the crash. Every twig she stepped on, every mournful song of the wind, every tree she bumped into caused her to jump. There were several nights spent in her broken pod where she lay awake, afraid, alone, haunted by all that had happened.

Little did she know, she was going to spend her first year on Earth that way...

* * *

It was winter again. Light flakes of snow drifted towards the ground slowly, and the slow wind acted as partners in their dance. The forest was quiet, there were few birds or animals at all for that matter, just the leafless branches occasionally moving with gusts.

Howlite was actually feeling quite adequate, going for a stroll through the forest, using tree trunks to prop her up. She had adapted decently, but she was still quite an anxious soul, so she was never really calm for very long. Her once tightly braided hair was a wild, loose tangle of some parts which were still braided and the frowzy parts that came undone in the crash which were knotted and crimpy.

Not too far off, were the thundering pounds of three horses galloping through the woods. The breath of the horses puffed out in light fogs through the cold winter air. Surprisingly, there were Gems on these horses.

"I saw it just around this bend, I swear, there's a Gem in these woods!" A dark green and salmon pink Gem said, riding on a chocolate brown horse alongside the great Crystal Gem leader, Rose Quartz, sitting prestigiously on a horse as white as the snow at their feet.

"It could've just been a human, I wouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly, Unakite." Another Gem added, a pinkish-red and blue one, to be exact.

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, Garnet! I followed the mystery figure to...a Homeworld escape pod!" Unakite, the dark green Gem, replied smugly.

"Then, why didn't you just capture her there?" Rose Quartz asked, curiously.

Unakite flinched at Rose's words, as though Rose was scolding her. "Um...Uh...Ah, you see, I wanted _you_ to decide what we do with her, I mean, I didn't want to just you know, burden you with a new Gem suddenly! Hehe, you know what I mean?" Unakite stuttered.

"Mm, sensible, but it would be better if we don't waste the energy of these poor Earth creatures when we could've just taken her in one trip," Rose replied.

"Yes, ma'am," Unakite said quietly, keeping her eyes on the trail ahead of her.

Howlite felt vibrations on the ground...She heard the hoofbeats approaching...as well as the distant conversations...the scentless air suddenly had a tint of animal manure and dirt...Howlite had no choice but to start running towards the escape pod where she had found refuge for so long.

"There she is, after her!" Unakite shouted as she saw Howlite's shadow run off through the forest. The group directed their horses and urged them to go faster.

"Argh, next time we're taking speeders, these creatures are slow and weak!" Garnet shouted. The others obviously knew it was Ruby talking.

Every fallen tree, root, or rock that stood in Howlite's way tripped her and slowed her down, whilst the pursuing horses jumped over them agilely, soon gaining on Howlite up close. Howlite's thoughts were overshadowed by heartbeat, footsteps and panting, whimpering breath. The cuts on her arms and legs from life in the forest burned in the cold, and they became further painful as falls and oncoming branches exacerbated them.

"She seems almost...afraid." Rose Quartz said quietly to herself. "Quit running! We mean no harm!" She shouted.

Howlite looked behind, although that didn't do much. During that time, her foot got stuck underneath a fallen tree. She fell face first into the snow and struggled as she heard the hoofbeats getting closer. Howlite was panicking inside, struggling for all she had. The hoofbeats slowed, and she felt one of the riders jump off into the snow. More footsteps approached her.

"Are you alright?" A smooth, soothing voice asked.

Howlite fearfully struggled more to escape before replying gruffly. "Yes."

"Your appearance begs to differ." Howlite heard another voice.

"Unakite..." The smooth voice said scoldingly.

"Y-You're...Gems? You must be the rebels! You're not going to get me alive!" Howlite growled.

"Not like that, we're not." Howlite felt a warm hand wrap around hers and free her.

"W-What are you going to do with me?" Howlite tried not to sound fearful, yet her voice was as shaky as the rest of her limbs.

"We're going to help you." The smooth voice said. Howlite felt the owner of the voice left her up onto what felt like a furry, yet hard creature. She also felt the owner mount the unknown object. "Hold onto me." The voice took Howlite's arms and wrapped them around her waist.

"Let's head back to base," Unakite added before the four of them galloped away, leaving Howlite's escape pod to decay, hopefully along with Howlite's trauma.

* * *

Rhodonite snapped out of her daydream. The light of the setting sun shining through the window behind her. She scoured the room tiredly, only to see Blue standing directly in front of her.

"I've noticed you are now on probation. I can't really help you there, you are officially a danger to Gem society, I hope you're happy." Blue Diamond said.

Rhodonite sat cross-legged on her bed within her guest room, a beeping, robotic, green probation shackle wrapped around her left leg. A look of pure hatred was spread on her face. "Happy? Do I look happy to you? Not only am I stuck with this thing, but do you have any idea what I have just endured? Maybe, I don't know, be supportive and understand?"

"What happened, besides corruption? You're better now, what happened to that happy, determined Rho I was talking to a few days ago?" Blue asked.

"I'll tell you what happened, your sister, Yellow happened. I'm not happy, no, I never truly was, but I am certainly determined, more than ever! Your sister's words are convincing, and they sting like knives and leave my sanity more poisoned than ever before. However, I will still fight this war...now I'm not sure if my cause is one of greater good, or of unimaginable evil, but I will fight it, no matter what. Make your decision now, Blue, join the heroes or join the villain, the madman, the devil, the wounded and spiteful animal." Rhodonite raised her voice and stood up.

"I guess, I'll be with the heroes." Blue Diamond replied.

"Fine, run back to your Diamonds, see if I care." Rhodonite growled and crossed her arms in a furious huff.

"What? I said I was joining the heroes!" Blue shouted.

"Well, I'm certainly not a hero, am I? I don't know what I am, and I really don't give a damn, but whether I am a great hero or a powerful, feared monster, I am meant to do this, and you can't stop me." Rhodonite said. "War means destruction...and although I never wanted the deaths of innocent Gems, it will happen. According to Earth views, that makes me somewhat of a terrorist, does it not?"

"I don't know of Earth views! But what I do know is that I agree with you, and I'm joining your side. I don't know what happened with your sister, but we better find a way to get you out of that shackle, because I'm not going to let this die down." Blue Diamond replied, taking on Rhodonite's previous determined nature.

Rhodonite's eyes widened in surprise. She turned to face Blue, who held her arms out for a supportive hug. She ran over and took the hug, tears leaking from her eyes and onto Blue's clothes. After a few minutes, Rhodonite pulled away and held Blue's shoulders.

"Did you have a dream while you were gone?" Blue Diamond asked.

Rhodonite nodded shakily. "This war isn't just about freedom...it's about avengement," Rhodonite mumbled.

"But mostly freedom." Blue smiled.

"Yeah." Rhodonite lightly smiled back.

"You're a hero to me...remember that." Blue Diamond pulled Rhodonite in for another hug.

"Yeah," Rhodonite mumbled to herself, although she still wasn't sure.

* * *

 **Heeeey and Happy Valentines' Day!**

**For me, it is Eat cake and Try Not To Be Sad You're Still Single Day**

 **But my birthday was on the twelfth so I guess I still get to have people worship me hehe**

 **I apologize for taking so long on this one..for it required a lot of thought and words...and my life has been quite stressful so it took a bit to get around to it.**

 **This took a lot of work so reviews are encouraged! Hope to hear from you guys soon!**

 **-AmethystGalaxy999**


	31. All Gummed Up

**I came up with this a few weeks ago and I wasn't sure if I wanted to put it into action. Since the easy answer to the problems in Homeworld would be get rid of the Great Diamond Authority, I thought, what about Blue? And how will Blue be respected as an activist for the oppressed Homeworld Gems? Simple...just keep reading...**

* * *

The next morning Blue Diamond met Rhodonite in the room where she was kept.

"You know, Blue, I was thinking, we could sneak outside together. I just need to get the shackle off and we can sneak out. We better get a lay of the land around here, so we know how to do this." Rhodonite said to Blue behind the closed doors of Rhodonite's room.

"How? There are Quartz everywhere, someone'll see us and then I'll get punished by my sisters!" Blue shouted in worry.

"Your sisters punish you? Really? Well, it's still worth the risk, don't you think? I mean, how are we supposed to rebel if we don't know what we are rebelling against? It's always worth a shot." Rhodonite said.

"True, I guess I'll do it." Blue agreed.

"Alright! Be ready in some casual clothes in a few minutes, and we'll bust out of here!" Rhodonite shouted with triumph as she slammed her leg against the wall, causing the shackle to break.

"Now, granted I should've done that way earlier," Rhodonite said to herself as Blue left to change.

* * *

The two friends made it out undetected in about 5 minutes, the palace was not just a palace, it also had several laboratories, dancing rooms, kitchens and dining rooms, guest rooms, landing platforms, arsenals, meeting rooms, and it was also the hot spot where all technology on Homeworld was controlled from. It was like a labyrinth, but Blue knew every corner, so she lead Rhodonite out.

Blue had told Rhodonite that the entire planet was one big city, there was no need for farmland or rural areas, oxygen was never cherished, and Gems didn't really need housing. Let's just say, the Gem race drained their home planet of water, plants, polluted the air, killed off almost all the animals, all in the name of progress in technology and science, what Yellow and White called, "the greater good". Rhodonite noticed that all the Gems hustling and bustling through the streets were all on their own mission, they all had specific jobs. Burly Quartz and Jasper lined the streets, holding Gem destabilizers as nonchalantly as a someone would hold a shopping bag. Rhodonite could distinguish Rubies, Fluorites, Peridots, and the occasional Pearl in the huddle of people, along with an amalgam of millions of others. Of course, not all Gems had duplicates, Sodalite, Rhodochrosite and Howlite never had duplicates, they were just themselves and they had a job to do. Sometimes on the streets, a speeder or two would whiz by, and above her, there were certain spots where a long line of Gems were waiting to use a warp pad, different size spaceships flew in single file lines, like flying cars. There were also tracks for bullet trains, which shot by at backbreaking speed. Blue said that only certain Gems could ride the trains, and the rest had to walk or find another way.

"Well, show me around." Rhodonite gestured to the street.

"Uuuuum...I don't really know where to start." Blue shrugged.

"I guess we just start walking around, maybe do some shopping, if you have it," Rhodonite said.

"The shopping is a couple 100 miles from here..." Blue replied.

"Then we can take a bullet train! Come on!" Rhodonite grabbed Blue's arm and pulled her into and through the crowd before reaching an elevated bullet train boarding station. Luckily they were just in time, because a bright red bullet train pulled in, and there were different cars for different Gems. The "individual Gems" were in the first car, and some of the other types of Gems piled into smaller, less nice cars. The first car looked pretty modern, and it wasn't as crowded as Rhodonite had expected, there was plenty of room for Gems to sit and stand.

The bullet train flashed across the tracks at such a speed that Rhodonite was clinging to the dangling handle for dear life, whilst Blue was trying hard not to laugh. She sighed and said, "I remember I was the same way my first time." She said quietly.

The bullet train finally stopped at their destination, much to Rhodonite's relief, and the two got off the train and immediately started walking around. Rhodonite's feet were asleep, so she kind of lolloped around for a few seconds whilst Blue slowed her walking so she could keep up. Rhodonite wasn't sure what Homeworld Gems would shop for since they didn't need to eat or drink or sleep and they could easily just project clothes, but she stood corrected when Blue showed her the marketplace, a bustling area full of stores full of anything, from silk dresses, to furniture, to speeders and spaceships.

"I have some money if you want anything," Blue whispered into Rhodonite's ear.

"It's fine, you don't have to buy anything," Rhodonite replied.

"Hey, what's that around your neck?" Blue asked, noticing Rhodonite's necklace with the two wedding rings on it.

"Oh, just a sentimental gift from home. These rings were relics from my past lives. They mean a lot to me." Rhodonite said quietly, rubbing them in between her fingers, lightly smiling, her eyes twinkling with nostalgia.

"That's nice. How about I get you something to remember me by?" Blue asked.

"Okay." Rhodonite shrugged.

"But it has to be a surprise! I'll be right back, I know just what to get! You can shop around, and I'll find ya." Blue said excitedly, running off into the marketplace. Rhodonite decided to wander around the grounds, and it was actually kind of fun. For a while, she was just looking at things from afar, but she decided to get close just this once and try a weird looking instrument that was for sale at a booth full of random luxury items. She picked it up and immediately began playing a song that she saw Steven playing on his ukulele.

 _Isn't this such a beautiful night,_  
 _Whoa, we're underneath a thousand shining stars._  
 _Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different,_  
 _Whoa, why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are._  
 _Look at this place, look at your faces._  
 _I've never seen you look like this before._  
 _Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different,_  
 _Whoa, why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are._

Rhodonite's strangeness and her Earth ways almost always drew attention to her, and lots of different Gems stopped and listened to Rhodonite sing and play. Her singing voice was nothing like Steven's, it was deeper, almost distorted, and loud, like a roar, but the instrument kind of clouded over her strange sounding voice with its sweet harmonies.

 _Look at this place, look at your faces._  
 _They're shining like a thousand shining stars_  
 _Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different,_  
 _Whoa, why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are._  
 _Why don't you let yourself just be somewhere different?_  
 _Whoa, why don't you let yourself just be whoever you are._

After the crowd cleared away, and a few bangs on a drum, Blue Diamond showed up with a few small shopping bags in her hands. "Hey, I liked your song," She said, smiling.

"Ay, are you gonna buy something or not?" The shopkeeper asked impatiently.

"Sorry, no. I don't think so." Rhodonite replied.

The shopkeeper slammed her hands on the counter of the booth, she leaned towards Rhodonite and looked pleadingly into her eyes. "Please, please, please! You gotta buy it! I have a boss at home and if I don't sell a certain amount, she'll beat me! I have proof, just look up my back! Please, help a sister out!" The shopkeeper begged.

Rhodonite felt empathy for the shopkeeper, and with a loan from Blue Diamond, she bought the strange instrument. After seeing the shopkeeper and hearing her cry for help, Rhodonite noticed a lot more. She saw another shopkeeper whip her workers for slacking or not selling large amounts of products. The Quartz that lined the street had rocks and other miscellaneous items thrown at them by mischievous and disrespectful Gems. Sometimes, even shopkeepers beat other shopkeepers because of what kind of Gem they were.

Rhodonite and Blue Diamond kept strolling through the city, in awe of all the mistreatment of all classes. From Pearls getting whipped to Quartz and Jasper getting pranked and robbed, it was just a maelstrom of oppression going on, and as far as Blue and Rhodonite knew, the Diamonds already knew about it. Blue noticed Rhodonite's eye twitching and her hands shaking with corruption again, so she put a gentle hand on her shoulder to calm her down. The two kept walking, taking mental note of everything...

"Hey look! It's Blue Diamond!" They heard someone shout.

Suddenly, a large crowd accumulated around the two, and it became a hurricane of angry shouts, enraged about anything from killed friends and family, to the strict class system, to the horrible experiments, and even a few defended Earth and other planets. It quickly rose to violence, a few angry Quartz came up to Blue and began hitting her repeatedly, some even threatened to poof her with gem destabilizers. It was strange, Rhodonite would've thought that the Diamonds had a clenched fist of fear around the citizens so strong that she suspected that they wouldn't even try to touch them. Rhodonite knew it wasn't necessarily Blue's fault that the Homeworld Gems were facing so much oppression, so in a labor of friendship, she dove into the cluster of people and tried to pull Blue out of the mess. She endured many pounding fists, dodged slicing weapons and eventually pulled out a barely conscious and bleeding Blue Diamond.

"Let's get out of here," Rhodonite said, picking up Blue bridal style and running to the nearest warp pad to take them back to the main palace. Once they reached the palace, Blue told Rhodonite where her bedroom was, and Rhodonite tucked her into her bed. Afterword, Rhodonite informed a Quartz who happened to have passed by to get a healer to come and help Blue. She then walked back to her room to try and get some rest...

* * *

Blue was called into the throne room before the healer could get to her. She limped in to see her two sisters, standing regally, as usual, with looks of disapproval engraved on their faces. Blue stood in front of them, head down, and she just let them shout at her.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SNEAKED OUTSIDE!" White shouted in horror.

"How could you? You know that isn't allowed!" Yellow screeched.

"At least, she got punished for it, look at her, she can barely stand.." White whispered into Yellow's ear, smiling.

"Is that all you want for me? One ounce of curiosity, one teaspoon of longing for something different than palace life, and you _wanted_ me to get hurt? I could've been shattered in that mob out there and you wouldn't even have cared! You only care about yourselves, people are suffering out there, _and_ you were cruel enough to do horrible things to Rhodonite, along with millions of other innocent Gems, and for what, the "greater good"? I am so _done_ with you two, you should be ashamed!" Blue ranted.

"Says you, _defect_. You can't go anywhere, the people won't accept you, and you are only ostracizing yourself from us. You're also hanging out with that earthling too much, she's giving you bad ideas." Yellow replied coolly, her voice hard and cold like steel.

"Guards, seize her. Maybe you need a little more punishment..." White smirked as she snapped her fingers, ordering two burly Quartz to grab Blue by her wrists and drag her into her bedroom, where they beat her once more to the point of unconsciousness...

* * *

Blue Diamond woke up in agony, blood still dripping from her wounds, and the covers stained with the same dark fluid. She tried to sit up, and every part of her body ached, and she limped her way to the mirror to look at her ripped and torn-up figure. She felt so tired, her eyes drooped as she was on the edge of consciousness. She looked long and hard at herself. Unaccepted by neither the people or the aristocrats and her "family". Blue hated herself, and she wanted to change so bad, she wished that she could break out of these awful stereotypes, that she was cruel, ruthless, like her sisters, but she couldn't...

"I wish people could see and appreciate me... Instead of who they _think_ I am..." Blue closed her eyes and allowed a tear to drift out of each eye before reaching an epiphany.

Blue quickly grabbed a hooded cloak out of her wardrobe and headed over to Laboratory 10, where the chemists worked on Gem genetics to create new Gems. She put on safety glasses and grabbed several test tubes full of different Gem genes. She then reached for two separate empty test tubes and she mixed the genes together into one test tube. She took the other empty test tube and a pocket injector similar to a shot and ran back to her room undetected. Blue slammed the door to her room, and in the shadow of the night, she poured the mixed genes into the injector.

"Here goes nothing..." Blue sighed, her limbs shaking now in fear of the unknown. Her mind racing with the jarring decision, keep living this torture or face the unknown...

Face the unknown. Blue Diamond jabbed the injector into her chest, right next to her Gem. Blue winced in pain, then fell to the ground as it increased. It felt like all her bones were breaking and reforming, her skin searing, her Gem, cracking and shattering, then sticking back together in a new order. Her hair was getting ripped out of her head, she couldn't open her eyes at all, and her insides were getting twisted about in a whirlwind of pain and sickness. On the outside, Blue's body type was changing, her Gem was morphing into a different shape, her hair and skin slowly became a pale white with tints of ice blue. Blue Diamond, choking, barely able to breathe, reached for the empty test tube, and vomited thick, dark blue liquid, her Gem matter.

Blue put the lid on the test tube and hid it, along with the injector. She noticed that her wounds had healed, and she was beginning to get her ability to stand again. She went to go look herself in the mirror, it was a little too dark to get a good idea of her true colors, but she had pale, whitish skin, like the moon, and straight, light blue hair in an A-line short cut. She was still wearing her dark blue silk nightgown, but she decided to change the color of it to ice blue. Her eyes were a silver, ice blue color, and her face structure looked pretty much the same, it was her body structure that changed. She actually had an hourglass shape like her sisters, and she still had all the same muscle she had before. Blue smiled to herself, put up the hood of her cloak, and walked out to go see Rhodonite...

* * *

Knock knock, knock...

Rhodonite woke up to the sudden pounding on her door. She sat up groggily, moaning, groaning, stretching and yawning. The knocks resounded again as she was getting out of bed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Rhodonite shouted irritably. "Well, at least, someone had the common decency to knock for once..." She muttered as she approached the door. The lights were off in her room, and Rhodonite was too lazy to turn them on, so she could barely see what she was doing. After feeling around the door for the knob for a few seconds, she finally opened the door to reveal a shadowy figure in a black hooded cape standing in front of her, head down.

"May I come in?" The figure asked, its voice raspy and quiet.

"Yeah no," Rhodonite said as she began to shut the door on the stranger. The figure caught the door and pushed it back open. "Look, what do you want? It's the middle of the night." Rhodonite asked in annoyance.

"It's me, Rhodonite." The figure said in its raspy voice, except the voice was starting to take shape now...smooth as honey, but lower than she expected out of someone so feminine-looking.

"I don't know who you are, but apparently you know me. I'll let you in, but any funny business and I'll attack you." Rhodonite replied, reluctantly opening the door and letting the figure in before shutting it. It was still dark in there, so Rhodonite walked over to a lamp on the side of the room and turned it on. "Come over here." She beckoned.

The figure walked over to Rhodonite and the two stood under the lamplight.

"Take off that hood of yours, we're not outside," Rhodonite said.

The figure took off her hood to reveal a face that Rhodonite was totally unfamiliar with. It featured beautiful opalescent skin, short, straight ice blue and white hair, plump lips, silver eyes and she had an insecure kind of smile like she was hiding something.

"Yeah, I don't know you at all," Rhodonite said, thinking out loud.

"I wasn't expecting you to, but you will right now." The opalescent Gem said.

Rhodonite cocked an eyebrow in suspicion.

The Gem pulled out a test tube full of dark blue liquid and shook it in a taunting kind of way. "It's me, Blue!" She smiled.

"I have a hard time believing that...what happened? What did you do? I mean, you look completely different, and all your wounds are gone... and your voice sounds different...how?" Rhodonite was confused by it all.

"Look, I learned today that the people of Homeworld won't listen to me, won't listen to us, if I am Blue Diamond. Everyone hates all Diamonds, so I went into one of our labs and mixed a concoction of different Gem genes. I injected the genes into my Gem, changing my genetic makeup to make a new me. I can help you now, and my sisters will never know because I can change back into my old self with just another injection." Blue said excitedly.

"So you'll be living a double life? That is dangerous for both of us, and you don't know how your Gem will react to all these chemicals and changes. I guess we'll just have to try it. What do I call you when you're like this?" Rhodonite asked.

"Moonstone, I'm Moonstone." Blue smiled, she was already enjoying her new form.

"There are no other Gems like us... we're both mutations. That means, that your sisters can't restrain us into the class system. We're outliers, we don't fit into the system, so your sisters can't stop us or restrain us, we can break the system just by not being in the system!" Rhodonite was getting excited too, she had even raised her voice too.

Moonstone held her finger up to Rhodonite's mouth, shushing her. "Keep quiet, even walls have ears. Until we really get into this whole thing, Moonstone doesn't exist."

"Oh yeah, I get it," Rhodonite whispered, smiling.

"I gotta get back, I'll keep talking to you in the morning, but not as me," Moonstone said, looking back at the door.

"I have to ask, which one is you? Like, who do you feel you are?" Rhodonite asked.

Moonstone stopped and stared at the ceiling, thinking. "I'll have to get back to you. I think I need a little more experience as both Blue and Moonstone before deciding."

"Oh, I see. Good night...Moonstone." Rhodonite grinned.

"Good night, Rhodonite." Moonstone smiled back, put her hood up and walked towards the door. She opened it, and right before closing it, Rhodonite called for her,

"Hey Moonstone,"

"Yeah?" She asked, only her head peeking in the door.

"You look beautiful," Rhodonite said quietly, winking.

Moonstone smiled bigger and shut the door behind her.

* * *

 **Mwahahaha plot twist**

 **Btw I was informed that my writing improved? Wow, noice...I'm not sure when that happened, but I wrote this a while ago and saved it...so this may be a pre-writer/werewolf-transformation piece hehe**

 **(What am I doing with my life)**

 **Now before I get roasted a bunch of times hear me out...this was completely planned and I'm absolutely going away from canon on this one. I'm trying my best to stick, but this is one of those times when I just can't. I'm also getting sick of comments about Blue's character...so why not put a new name to that character?**

 **What does everyone think of Moonstone and Blue Diamond's choice?**


	32. DEATH BY GLAMOUR

Blue came to Rhodonite's room and brought her injector with her. Rhodonite examined the injector, staring into the white material with a rainbow tint inside. Blue paced anxiously as Rhodonite looked at the needle, Blue was nervous to become Moonstone again, yet excited at the same time.

"Hey, Rho? I'm ready." Blue stopped and Rhodonite approached her.

"Okay, and what are you even going to do once we apply it?" Rhodonite asked.

Blue shrugged. "I don't know, as long as I'm getting used to it, I'm good," Blue replied.

Blue Diamond turned to face Rhodonite, who pressed the needle into the skin next to her Gem. Blue flinched at the cold metal and felt a tingle go through her as the liquid drained out of the injector and into her Gem. Rhodonite wasn't sure what would happen, but she found out quickly as Blue keeled over and Rhodonite caught her. She marveled as Blue Diamond's form changed completely. Not only did she become considerably shorter than the average Diamond, her hair shortened into a straight, ice-blue A-line cut. Her body shape changed and her clothes morphed into a navy blue jumpsuit from the white nightgown she was originally wearing. She felt lighter in Rhodonite's arms, and her skin was an opalescent white, along with her Gem. Moonstone took in a sharp, deep breath and looked up into Rhodonite's eyes. She stood up wobbly but smiled at her new form. Moonstone's ice blue eyes took some getting used to, along with the rest of her form, but Rhodonite was glad to see that her transformation went smoothly.

"So...do you wanna, maybe...sneak out again?" Rhodonite asked, rubbing the back of her neck with nervousness.

"Yeah," Moonstone replied, her voice cracking slightly. She cleared her throat. "Yeah, I think we should." Her voice had become higher, yet still low and smooth.

"We better stay hidden for now, though, just to be safe." Rhodonite turned and rummaged in her wardrobe. She threw a black cloak at Moonstone and grabbed one for herself. They quickly fastened them on, nodded to each other and snuck out of the palace with the same ease they did yesterday.

They stepped out into the street, still busy since most of the working class Gems didn't sleep, even though it was only nearly dawn. They were constantly working, keeping Homeworld and the colonies up and running. Rhodonite and Moonstone felt bad for them but knew they couldn't do anything for them at the moment.

"Since the last time we went out here was so intense, I say we have some fun this time. Know any cool places where we can hang out?" Rhodonite asked.

"There's one place the Diamonds haven't shut down yet." They were startled by the gruff voice of a Quartz behind them. "It's a hundred miles from here, near the Black Market. You better get walking to the train station."

"But isn't there a warp pad that can get us there quicker?" Rhodonite asked, pointing to the warp pad a couple 100 feet away from them, which had a large line of Gems angrily shouting, checking their holographic screens and tapping their feet impatiently.

"This place isn't accessible by warp pad. You have to take the train or a speeder." The Quartz replied. Moonstone was already beginning to walk toward the station.

"Oh, well that sucks. I hate those trains." Rhodonite moaned as she followed Moonstone reluctantly to the station.

"You get used to it." Moonstone said as a purple bullet train pulled up and a large crowd of Gems got out, all talking among themselves in a million different conversations, all splitting up to go to different places. Rhodonite and Moonstone stepped on.

When the train started at it's back-breaking speed, Moonstone quickly realized that she was lighter and more unbalanced as she was before, and she quickly fell backward into Rhodonite, and they both fell on the floor of the train.

"You get used to it." Rhodonite mocked as she shoved Moonstone off of her and helped her up.

"Okay, fine. I guess we'll get used to it together." Moonstone said as they wrapped their hands together and held onto one of the poles tightly.

It was a matter of minutes before they reached their destination, and they filed out with the rest of the Gems in the first car. The Quartz had given Rhodonite a map before she went to follow Moonstone, and they followed the directions to a building underneath the bullet train tracks. It looked a lot grander than what Rhodonite would expect from an illegal hangout joint. The building was painted a vibrant red and the roof was decorated with flashing rainbow lights. It had a glittering pink neon sign that read:

 **Bar Gurama**

By the double doors that were lined with white lights was another sign that said:

 **Fusions Welcome**

"Geez, here goes," Moonstone said as she approached the building.

Rhodonite speed-walked in front of her. "Let me go first, this is about to get intense."

"I'm certainly not going to stop you," Moonstone said as Rhodonite pushed open the doors.

The bar was bigger on the inside, and the bar area stretched around the walls in the facility. There were several Gems working the bar and you couldn't really hear anything over the blaring techno music and the overlapping conversations. It was strange seeing the amalgam of Gems there, from Pearls to Peridots, to Quartzes, especially since they normally lived so separately. The walls were painted the same vibrant red as the outside, and it was dimly lit with rainbow string lights on the walls. Rhodonite and Moonstone decided to cop a squat on the sticky purple bar stools and await assistance. They studied the drink choices on the walls, but the lack of lighting made it hard to read.

A rather perky Fluorite slid into vision, twirling a purple bottle of Who-Knows-What. "What can I do for you two?" She asked.

Moonstone squinted at the menu board. "I guess I'll have the...Uranium Cocktail? Sorry, I can't really read it."

"Good choice, and take your cloak off, stay a while!" The Fluorite reached over and unfastened Moonstone's cloak. It fell away from her shoulders, revealing her face and actual clothes. The Fluorite's eyes widened and she quickly turned to Rhodonite, unfastened her cloak and asked her what she wanted.

Rhodonite put her palm up as a way to refuse. "I'll pass on the drinks."

"Okay, that's cool." The Fluorite said as she began making Moonstone's drink. "So, you guys don't look like anything I've seen here...are you guys from one of the colonies? Or..."

"You could say that," Rhodonite mumbled.

"What colony?" Fluorite asked.

"It's not a colony anymore. Earth." Rhodonite said.

"Earth? You're kidding, right? That place got shut down centuries ago, now all I hear comes out of it are these weird fusion things, and they're making this one geoweapon...the Cluster? Yeah, Earth sounds pretty messed up, no offense." Fluorite said, handing Moonstone her drink.

"None taken," Rhodonite said through gritted teeth, trying not to glare.

"What about you, pretty girl?" The Fluorite slid in front of Moonstone seductively.

"Oh, I'm from Homeworld," Moonstone replied nervously.

"You must be a new Gem type! This must be your first night out here, isn't it? Oh, I bet the Diamonds have been talking this place up, but it ain't exactly sunshine and flowers, if you know what I mean." Fluorite said, popping open a bottle of her own drink and taking a slug.

"Yeah, I noticed," Moonstone replied, sipping the last of her drink.

"Now, why don't you want to drink? I mean, you realize you came to a bar right? Unless you're here for..." Fluorite leaned over to Rhodonite. "The fusion," Fluorite whispered.

"Fusion? I can't even do that!" Rhodonite said loudly.

"Quiet! I know it's frowned upon out there, but here it's welcome...didn't you read the sign?" Fluorite continued to whisper, but loud enough for Moonstone to hear.

"No, my body is literally not capable of fusion, end of story," Rhodonite replied snappily.

"Oh, well I guess your friend here is the only one who's gonna get the full experience," Fluorite said before leaning and whispering in Moonstone's ear. "What's the point of being with this disgusting Earthling if you can't even fuse?"

Moonstone shrugged. "None of your concern...besides, I don't see you with a partner anywhere."

"Fair point, but still, you gotta know what it feels like, and I know just the person to help ya. Yo, Bismuth! We gotta new Gem here!" Fluorite called, and she seemed to be shouting in a room blocked by pink curtains.

"Oh, Gold help me, who is Bismuth?" Rhodonite asked.

"Well, you're about to find out, just sit back and relax, Earthling, the entertainment is about to begin!" Fluorite said, wrapping her arm around Rhodonite's neck and pulling her close in a brotherly way.

Out from the curtains burst a freakishly tall Gem with technicolored skin with white, square-shaped swirl designs seemingly tattooed on. Her eyes were multicolored too, and her hair was ivory, long and bushy. She was wearing white leggings, knee-high black boots with heels so tall Rhodonite was surprised she could move as fast as she was. Her face was full of makeup, making her already bright eyes more noticeable with glittery eyeshadow and long black lashes. Her lips were plump and red, and she was smiling with bright white teeth. Her torso was covered by a neon pink, bedazzled with sequins leotard, except of course, the leotard obviously broadcasted most of her breasts with a V-neck, and her two, multi-colored, swirl-shaped Gems were located on her forehead and...her tongue.

Bismuth did a few bombastic twirls on her toes before stopping in a dramatic pose and speaking into the sequined microphone she seemed to have pulled out of thin air. "Did somebody say...new Gem? Where is she, you can't hide from a good time ya know!" She said, her voice loud and full of humor.

Fluorite shoved Moonstone out of her barstool, which immediately grabbed the attention of Bismuth.

"Ah! There she is! Yo, Fluorite, get me a beat!" Bismuth shouted, snapping her fingers sassily in the air.

Bismuth strutted over to Moonstone, shaking her wide hips as a mix of dubstep, hip-hop and disco began to play. Bismuth seized Moonstone's hand and pulled her into a twirl, and during the swirl, Moonstone landed particularly close to Bismuth. Bismuth looked up at Fluorite and Rhodonite. "You sure brought a pretty Gem!" She said before beginning an elaborate dance routine with a baffled Moonstone. Meanwhile, everyone in the bar had their eyes on the pair, mesmerized mostly by the giant woman.

Rhodonite watched in involuntary awe, blushing at Moonstone as she slowly caught her bearings and danced surprisingly well. She was also just disgusted by the scene she was watching, but was helpless to stop it at this point.

Fluorite tapped Rhodonite on the shoulder. "Beautiful, ain't it?" Fluorite asked before jamming the drink bottle between her lips again.

"No! This seems forced!" Rhodonite shouted in defense.

"So?" Fluorite put a hand on Rhodonite's Gem and traced the faults where the different shards separated. "You seem a little forced too," Fluorite whispered.

"But Moonstone seems so confused!" Rhodonite protested, trying to ignore Fluorite's previous remark.

"Don't you mean, a little conFUSED!" Fluorite said before chortling and guffawing.

Rhodonite looked over to see Bismuth holding Moonstone close in a dip, their Gems glowing. Rhodonite scrambled out of her barstool seat, ran over and shoved Bismuth and Moonstone apart.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that!" Rhodonite shouted.

"And why not? Are you hating on how I do things?" Bismuth asked. "Shame on you!" She shouted, pointing a long, technicolor finger at Rhodonite scoldingly. Bismuth put her other hand on her hip as she stuck her buttocks out with attitude.

"Maybe Moonstone doesn't want people to invade her personal space like that." Rhodonite crossed her arms smugly.

"Then, you shouldn't have come to a fusion bar, that's for sure!" Bismuth said sassily.

"Right, which is exactly why we're leaving, right now." Rhodonite grabbed Moonstone's hand and began to pull her out. She slammed the money for Moonstone's drink on the counter and stomped out.

"Now don't be strangers, ya hear?" Fluorite said as Rhodonite went back in to grab her and Moonstone's cloaks. "I totally get that you were fighting for your lady." Fluorite whispered and winked.

"We are _not_ a couple!" Rhodonite shouted as she stomped out once again in a blushing, annoyed huff.

* * *

 **OOOH YES**

 **In order to get inspiration, I listen to random songs and see what I make...well (Can ya guess what song it was), I felt like this went great with what I planned for my next chapter after Gummed Up...I wanted to write a Moonstone's Night Out. I hope you like how it turned out!**

 **I split this up because I have too much commentary for this haha**

 **WELL THAT HAPPENED**

 **I always thought that Homeworld would have a Skid Row part of town that they never really checked out. Of course, there would be illegal fusion bars and black markets over there! It seems as though our protagonists picked a bad place to chill out hehe.**

 **I'm dying to know, what does everyone think of the absolutely FABULOUS fusion, Bismuth?**

 **(Four Songs Went into this: Death By Glamour By Toby Fox, Cadaverous By Kai Wachi, Applause By Lady Gaga, Talk Dirty By Jason Derulo (Whoo, that's an oldie!))**

* * *

Rhodonite speed-walked out into the street away from Bar Gurama to catch up with Moonstone. She wrapped her up in her cloak and put an arm around her. The late air cold, yet there was no circulation of wind, just a still fluctuation of temperature.

"Sorry about that, I didn't know that bar was going to be...like that," Rhodonite said quietly and nervously.

"It's fine, you tried your best." Moonstone replied, her head down and face shadowed by her cloak.

"We can still have a good time, I have a surprise for you." Rhodonite smiled reassuringly.

"A surprise?" Moonstone asked, perking her head up.

"Yeah, come on." Rhodonite and Moonstone began to walk quicker, and Rhodonite used the map the Quartz gave her to guide them. It was nearly dawn, sunset, and Rhodonite was already panicking inside for what was going to happen next. She could also tell that something was bothering Moonstone, but she wasn't sure what.

 _She's probably still recovering from the bar incident._ Rhodonite thought. _I'm so stupid, I should've known what they meant by Fusions Welcome!_

Let's just say, Moonstone wasn't thinking that. Her thoughts were moving quicker than codes in a computer, but she tried to stay optimistic for Rhodonite.

"Wait, wait, wait! Let me cover your eyes, we're almost there!" Rhodonite said excitedly as she placed her hands over Moonstone's eyes.

Moonstone giggled. "I wasn't going to stop you."

Rhodonite's smile grew larger as she uncovered Moonstone's eyes to reveal they were at the station for a private spaceship ride. The spaceship that they were assigned had an open top, for it was meant to stay in the atmosphere and just fly over the city, and the seats were long, like booths, and they were cushioned. The ship was self-driving, so it would just be them on the ship.

Moonstone smiled. _You aren't fooling anyone, Miss "I shouldn't love anyone, and that's final."_ She thought.

The two climbed into the ship, and everything had sort of an ethereal vibe. It was always that way when they were together in a setting like that, but yet the feeling was still fresh and new every time. As the ship went higher and higher, the wind blew the hoods of their cloaks away from their faces, as well as their hair. All that remained were their bare faces with no cover to cower behind. Moonstone's head laid low as the two sat in silence, her lips stuck in a frown, her thoughts haunting her like a ghost, and the usual light in her starry eyes was faded...Rhodonite thought that, like stars, maybe the light hadn't reached her sky yet.

"I can't help but think something's wrong, Moonstone." Rhodonite broke the silence. She scooted closer to Moonstone and lifted her chin up.

"No, I'm absolutely fine." Moonstone looked away, staring at the twilight, the whimsical pink sky with wispy purple clouds, the sun disappearing underneath the city skyline, the moon beginning to rise over them from the other side.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that," Rhodonite said.

Moonstone turned around and faced Rhodonite. She felt confident in her lying skills, and she looked deep into Rhodonite's eyes. The longer she stared, her lip quivered for a bit, but she took a deep, shaky breath and said, "I'm absolutely fine."

"Alright then." Rhodonite scooted away and looked at the scenery herself. It was silent for a few seconds before Rhodonite felt a weight on his shoulder.

It was Moonstone, tears streaming down her face. Her arm instantly wrapped around Rhodonite's arm. "I am not absolutely fine," She said, her voice breaking.

"Called it," Rhodonite said, smirking. "What's up?"

"How do I say this? I can't just start to explain how I'm feeling..." Moonstone stuttered.

"Is it about...you? Moonstone?" Rhodonite asked.

"Yes," Moonstone replied.

"Man, I'm on fire. You'd think I have future vision." Rhodonite smiled. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Carry on."

"I feel...lost, yet found, confident, yet petrified, relieved and happy, yet homesick and depressed. Do you get what I mean?" Moonstone began to explain.

"Yes, I do. That happens with change, can you maybe, tell me what drives these feelings? I mean, I have a decent idea, but I'm not you. You feel like you have finally found a form that fits you, your outside matches your inside, but you also have just given up someone else, someone who was...well, you. You feel lost because you were just given a clean slate, right? You feel confident that this change is for the better, but you are scared because it may bring unknown and possibly scary experiences to you, and you feel happy that you've finally taken this leap, yet you are homesick for your past life. I can relate to all of those feelings." Rhodonite said.

"You can?" Moonstone asked.

"Of course, I can, you're forgetting that I once had a completely different life too. Not only that, my past lives had to sacrifice themselves for the better, and they found happiness in that change." Rhodonite replied.

"It's not only that, I'm in danger, every minute I'm here," Moonstone added.

"Yeah, the rebellion has that effect," Rhodonite said.

"It's not that, I'm weaker, Rho. When I was Blue Diamond, I was indestructible, like my sisters, now my Gem matter has changed. I could be shattered, cracked, corrupted...I feel...vulnerable, not to mention smaller. I'm just afraid to take that on, I guess, especially now since we are fighting against two invincible beings." Moonstone explained. "Your lives gave up their careers and identities, I have to give up my immortality."

"You really must've been DYING to join this rebellion, then." Rhodonite chuckled, trying to cheer Moonstone up.

"Rho," Moonstone said expressionlessly to get her back on task.

Rhodonite cleared her throat. "Right. Remember, you made this choice, and I've noticed that you are three times happier like this. Maybe we'll die together... I don't know...but that's what's fun about it!"

"What is fun about that?" Moonstone asked.

"The unknown! It sort of gives you more of an appreciation for the present, you know? And it makes life a lot more interesting, like reading a really suspenseful book. Books are not as good if you already know what happens, right?" Rhodonite replied, crossing her legs and leaning back in her seat.

Moonstone smiled and lifted her head off of Rhodonite's shoulder. "Yeah."

Rhodonite did a warm, closed mouth grin. "Mm."

"I'm sorry if I was hurting your shoulders," Moonstone added.

"No, it's fine. I liked having you close to me." Rhodonite replied.

Moonstone fell back into Rhodonite's lap, resting her head on Rhodonite's leg as she stretched out on the rest of the booth. The two looked up to the stars.

"I have to admit, I like being light enough to lay on you, I would've crushed your legs before." Moonstone was thinking out loud.

"And besides, now you're more like me, that's not so bad." Rhodonite smiled.

"You mean, a defect?" Moonstone asked quietly.

"No! There's no one else like us...we're like shooting stars." Rhodonite replied.

"Oh...I wonder if shooting stars are lost." Moonstone said.

"Well, at least, shooting stars are going somewhere," Rhodonite added.

"Mm." Moonstone smiled again as the sky darkened, revealing the stars and moons. "I like this a lot better than fusing."

Rhodonite looked down at Moonstone as she closed her eyes and fell asleep in Rhodonite's lap. Rhodonite grinned and rested a hand on Moonstone's hair. "I like this a lot better than being alone."

 _You think you aren't beautiful,_

 _But I know you are wrong,_

 _I believe you are stunning, to be truthful,_

 _And that I've felt that way all along._

 _When we sat together,_

 _Orchestras played in my head,_

 _I wish that ride could've lasted forever,_

 _Even when your troubles caused the moment to fade._

 _You see, I don't care if it was ruined,_

 _Because love sees nothing as stupid,_

 _And I will care for you, no matter how wounded,_

 _Maybe I am what humans call, shot by cupid._

 _I understand you are nervous about your transition,_

 _And I will do my best to help your condition,_

 _To be your best friend, it will be my mission,_

 _If you will grant me permission._

 _Moonstone, I love you,_

 _Whether you are Moon or Blue,_

 _And I hope you love me back too,_

 _As well as understand what I've been through._

 _I hope we don't shatter in this war we've started,_

 _But if we do, I won't go out halfhearted,_

 _Our spirits will rise to a better place,_

 _Where life and love are not a disgrace._

 _Until then, we can find solace,_

 _In the fact that we're not flawless,_

 _To be faithful to you is what I promise,_

 _(And can I just say you've always been the hottest?)_

Rhodonite sang quietly...

* * *

 **Yeah, yeah, I know, cut the poetry, Starchild.**

 **I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! Ya know, things have gotten a little heavy, so it's nice to at least try to have a little fun, right?**

 **Reviews are definitely encouraged!**

 **(Songs That Influenced This Part: Lucky By Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat, Something Entirely New, She Keeps Me Warm By Mary Lambert, Count on Me By Bruno Mars, and The Best is Yet to Come by Sheppard)**

 **And Dang...not much of a time gap between these last two...well, this one's been sitting in my files for a while too.**


	33. Cry For Help

**Yes, yes, I know there is an episode already called this but trust me, this is totally different from that episode.**

* * *

Each night, Blue decided to change into Moonstone and help Rhodonite change things in Homeworld. She felt more confident as Moonstone, and the more she spent time with Rhodonite as her, she began to get more comfortable. The more she jabbed the shot into her, the transformations got less painful and every minute she spent as Moonstone, the more she wanted to stay that way forever. The two Gems were sitting on Rhodonite's bed, talking about a game plan.

"How do we get people to listen to us? They know that the government is corrupt, but they're just too afraid to say anything." Moonstone asked, hoping Rhodonite would have an answer.

Rhodonite sat and thought for a few seconds before snapping her fingers and smiling. "We need to inform them that we will give them protection. One of the humans, a girl named Connie, left her books and notes at the house once, and I read that one of the reasons that people join governments is out of fear. We need to offer the Homeworld people protection from whatever happens, and then they'll feel safe and join us." Rhodonite said.

"How do we tell people that we are going to try to rebel without being caught?" Moonstone asked.

"We have to be discreet, yet it has to reach everyone. I was thinking about this the other day, and I came up with an idea." Rhodonite replied.

"What's the idea?" Moonstone asked.

"I was just going to get to that, Moon. I call it, silent propaganda. We write a letter, addressing all the Homeworld people. We gesture to anyone and everyone, from the weakest Pearl to the strongest Quartz. We print this letter, give a few copies to people and tell them to pass it on. The message will spread, people will wonder how to join us, and our first stage is set." Rhodonite explained.

"What do we even write about?" Moonstone was asking a lot of questions.

"First, we address the issues that the people are facing, second, distinguish a common enemy, third, discuss the opportunities of joining our side. The other reason why people join social contracts is out of opportunity, if we promote all that we want Homeworld to offer, then people will be more willing to join, especially if the opportunities are good, like equality and stuff. And finally, we sign our initials and tell the people to pass it on. We will be using our initials so that if the Diamonds or a loyalist happens to get the letter, then they won't know who wrote it and we'll be safe." Rhodonite said.

"Ah, I see. So we start writing tonight?" Moonstone asked, looking over at the desk in the corner of the room.

"Yep! Is paper over there, or do we have to get some?" Rhodonite asked.

"There is paper over there." The two Gems got up off the bed and Moonstone took a seat at the desk. Rhodonite pulled up a chair next to her. Rhodonite opened a drawer in the desk, pulled out a fresh piece of parchment paper, as well as a writing utensil that wrote whatever you said and erased when you said so.

"I guess we begin with 'Dear Citizens of Homeworld'..." Moonstone shrugged.

Rhodonite and Moonstone sat and collaborated all night, trying to figure out what sounded right and how to get their points across. They had some giggles and a few little arguments, but the product was finished within five hours.

 _Dear Citizens of Homeworld,_

 _Look around you, look at your families, look to the skies and think of the distant planets in all solar systems. You have an impact on all of it. Ask yourself, are you and your families safe and happy? Are the people around you safe and happy? What about distant planets with so much potential for greatness and beautiful life? If you answered no to any of these questions, and I know all of you did, then you, my friends, have seen the atrocities of Homeworld and the Great Diamond Authority. You also may not be aware, but The Diamond Authority, particularly Yellow and White, have no respect or empathy for other Gems and species. Look at what they've done, they've sucked the life out of entire solar systems, experimented on, killed, and cast aside innocent Gems, they've divided and restrained us with a class system so strict that we don't even have the liberty to use the luxuries created by the sometimes heinous scientific achievements the Diamonds have created. This isn't the bright future Homeworld wants, this isn't good, this is stooping to some of the lowest lows in the entire galaxy, and that is saying a lot. The Diamonds need to be stopped, and some of you are convinced that what the Diamonds are doing to people is "the greater good", but is it really? If they did it to you, would you still believe this?_

 _We believe in a different Homeworld, a Homeworld where anyone can be whoever they want to be. That means Pearls can be warriors, Peridots can be business owners, Sapphires can be pilots, and Quartz can be dancers! Lovers of all gem types can be permafusions if they see it best fit! If we work together, then not only will Homeworld be an equal, happy, flourishing place where all Gems are actually happy with their jobs, but it will also be beautiful again! We're talking new infrastructure as well as efforts to bringing back all the life that the Diamonds have taken away in their time! Windows will have vibrant flowers growing in little boxes, streets lined with trees and bushes, and the sky shall no longer be a cloud of dark smoke! If we win this battle, then we'll put science where it is needed. Instead of creating more Gems and crowding our streets or giving the Gems we have strange augmentations, we'll put your taxes towards meaningful research such as corruption cures, effective transportation, and efforts to restore long gone plants and animals back on Homeworld._

 _Most of you are thousands of years old, living the same old torture for all that time. Seeing friends come and go, for whatever reasons, whether it be experiments, suicide, war, you've seen the same old patterns, everything just repeating. Why hasn't anyone done anything about it? Sure, revolution is always a shot in the dark, it is safer to just let the circle keep circling, but all good things are earned, you must have the perseverance, hope, and determination to get through the horrible trials that lie ahead, but it is so worth it. It's worth it to see our next generations live in happiness, and a better Homeworld then the one you had to grow up in._

 _Let's work together and make Homeworld great again. Pass it on to all areas of the planet._

 _-MS R_

* * *

After revising the letter and printing it undetected, most of the guards were sleeping on the job at this time and Moonstone knew how to break the security cameras, the two friends set out to pass the letters around. There were ten letters in all, and they split up to give them away. The starting points for the letter passing were from all walks of life, Quartz, Pearls, shopkeepers in the market, random people on the street, Peridots, and they put one up on a pole at the train station. Every person they passed a letter to had to promise not to rat them out, and they did. After Rhodonite and Moonstone sneaked back into the palace, Moonstone changed back, and Rhodonite went to sleep, along with Blue. The letters were immediately passed around. Their message got around quickly, and almost immediately, people were picking sides, and wondering at the mystery of the people who wrote this letter. What were their names? And what will they do next?

* * *

 **Do you want some exposition?**

 **Some information crammed in the middle of the action?**

 **Much like Thomas Paine's _Common Sense_ , Rho and Moonie have to try to get people to get into their cause... (Sorry for the unexpected history lesson.) **

**ALSO: I JUST FINISHED PACIFIST UNDERTALE! I'm officially in the fandom now...which means puns, references, and the like. (Aren't you all excited to hear bad jokes?)**

 **NEXT CHAPTER BLURB THING:** **Word spreads fast of our heroes' cause, and nothing stops it from reaching the enemy. Concerned for their thrones, the Diamonds send out an unlikely mercenary to kill the offenders...**


	34. The Mercenary: Part One

Meanwhile, a rather pesky Gem was toying with the Quartzes. This Gem had pale green skin, brown hair that was in a tight, high ponytail. She was wearing dark green, baggy yoga pants, and a light brown, high-necked, cropped top. She ran around barefoot, her bright green eyes with a crazed look in them, and she had a ray gun dangling from her utility belt, which sagged on one side. She was the kind of person who pick-pocketed people, talked smack to Quartzes, Jaspers, and other authority figures, and was a sneaky mercenary for anyone who paid the right price. One of her friends was conversing with two Quartzes to distract them whilst the pale green Gem sneaked around back and stole all their currency, as well as ammo for their ray guns.

The green Gem, however, accidentally nudged one of the Quartzes' belts in the process of taking their ammunition, causing the two to turn around abruptly and flick on their gem destabilizers.

The pale Gem slid and ducked underneath each strike at her with a gem destabilizer, afterward, she jumped up off the ground, and the two criminal Gems started running away with their take. The Quartzes ran after them, shouting at them to stop, and shoving anyone who got in the way.

"Stop, thief!" They called in their deep, masculine voices.

The pale green Gem cackled. "I think not!"

The two thieving partners kept sprinting until being stopped by a ledge that dropped almost fifty feet. The only way to get across the chasm was by bullet train, and the tracks were right above them. The city had many trenches like that, from past warfare or mining, so the street just dropped off there.

"What do we do?" The green Gem's brown and gold partner asked.

"Not sure, Tiger." The green Gem looked frantically around, and she noticed a bullet train coming their way, along with the two Quartzes lolloping towards them.

The train was about to go over their heads, and the green Gem decided to take a chance.

"Jump, now!" The green Gem shouted as she leaped over the chasm and grabbed onto a loose wire dangling from the bottom of the train. The brown Gem, Tiger's Eye, caught onto another loose wire and the two dangled from the wires. The obviously angered Quartzes growled and cursed at the two thieves as they cackled.

"Maybe next time ladies!" The pale Gem jeered.

"See you never, and don't worry, we'll put your money to good use...in the intergalactic black market!" Tiger's Eye shouted, which made them angrier. Tiger's Eye looked at the green Gem. "Nice one, Gaspeite! I would be lecturing you about your awful belt nudging, but that escape was excellent!"

"Why thank you! Besides, I'm the one lecturing you, you work with me and I get to control you." The green Gem, Gaspeite, smirked.

"Yeah yeah, now where's my share?" Tiger's Eye asked, holding her palm out impatiently.

"Yeah..." Gaspeite tugged at the neck of her shirt nervously. "No hard feelings, you gotta understand, it's pretty rough out here." Gaspeite reached down for her gun with one hand, pulled it out of her belt with a twirl and shot the wire that Tiger's Eye was holding, causing her to fall into the chasm. "Oh yeah, thanks for helping me out!" Gaspeite shouted down at Tiger's Eye, smiling mischievously.

"GASPEITE! I'LL GET YOU BACK FOR THIS!" Tiger's Eye screamed in anger.

"Right, IF YOU SURVIVE!" Gaspeite shouted back before Tiger disappeared into the blackness of the chasm, and Gaspeite chuckled evilly to herself. She cruised on the train for a little bit, but she got a rude awakening when she saw that she was heading for a tall metal communication pole. Thinking drastically and a little irrationally, she pulled out her gun again, and shot through the floor of the train while moving, she quickly climbed into the ship, much to the panic of the tens of Rubies in the car. Luckily, the train reached the station quick enough that the Rubies had no one to report to, and by the time someone got to a Quartz or Jasper, Gaspeite was gone, on the run again.

Gaspeite lived in an alley in between an apartment building and an interior designer's office, but she liked to move around. She couldn't afford to stay in any of the apartment buildings, so she slept under the cover of a makeshift house of plastic, cloth, and other discarded items. She stared at how much money she made, and it wasn't ever enough to buy good living space, but enough to buy a new gun at the black market. She smiled and slept with that happy thought, not ever feeling any guilt for what she did to Tiger.

* * *

Gaspeite suddenly felt a tight grasp on her arms and her body getting lifted up off the ground. Her eyes flashed open to realize she was being seized by two Quartzes, one in which was one she was running from that day. It was still dark, and the only light in the alley was the blaze of the city lights, moonlight, and the dim, glow of the Quartzes's gem destabilizers, which also hummed with teeming energy.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Gaspeite shouted and squirmed in the Quartzes's grip. She was kind of short and weak compared to the Quartzes, she was only slightly bigger than a Peridot and her squirming was about as effective as a little kid kicking and screaming in the arms of her parents.

"The Diamonds wish to speak to you." One of the Quartzes said, tightening her grip on Gaspeite's arm.

"Aw, geez. Let me guess, Aventurine Quartz? I recognize that dark green color anywhere." Gaspeite tried to change the subject.

"Save it, anything you say can and will be used against you in court, remember that." The Aventurine Quartz grunted.

Gaspeite groaned and squirmed the whole way to the palace, trying to escape, but to no avail. The two Quartzes kept dragging her through the palace by her arms whilst Gaspeite kicked and cursed. Anyone who passed the three Gems in the hallway stared, giggled, scoffed, or all three, and the Quartzes simply replied with a "Yep, this is completely normal." look, even though inside, both were really annoyed. They reached the throne room, opened the doors and threw Gaspeite to the middle of the room, where she landed on her face with a thud and a muttered curse.

"Hey! Watch the merchandise there!" Gaspeite shouted irritably.

"Be careful with our guest." Gaspeite could hear the cool, smooth voice of White Diamond.

The Quartz bowed and apologized, then exited the room and slammed the doors behind them.

"Stand up, a weak mercenary is futile to me." Yellow snapped.

Gaspeite stood up and stuck out her chest. "Weak? Not at all. I'm only the best mercenary on Homeworld!" She tried to flex what little muscle she had, but to no avail. Her arms were like green noodles.

"Don't try to flatter yourself. We've seen what you are capable of, and we demand that you work for us. It's a matter of life and death of life as we know it on Homeworld." Yellow said.

"Depends, name your price, and I'll see if I'm willing to accept," Gaspeite replied nonchalantly, studying her nails.

"Don't act like _you're_ the one in control here!" Yellow slammed her fist on the armrest of her throne, the loud metallic clank echoing violently in the room. "You have a long list of felonies under your name, and I could just execute you right now!"

"Gee, you cook up so much stuff in those labs of yours, and yet you still haven't created a much-needed chill pill for yourself," Gaspeite said coolly, still looking at her nails.

"Don't mouth off to us...do you want the money or not?" White Diamond asked.

"Of course, I do, but I have standards," Gaspeite said.

"Our offer is this, 5,000,000 Homeworld credits, a place to stay in the palace, and a royal pardon for all your crimes." Yellow offered, smiling devilishly as Gaspeite's eyes grew wide.

"I'm listening." Gaspeite replied quietly.

"See this?" White Diamond walked down her stairs, so did Yellow Diamond, to show Gaspeite a copy of the propaganda letter Moonstone and Rhodonite wrote.

"Oh, that old thing? That's some good stuff right there, it made my day." Gaspeite said.

"I need you to find and kill whoever wrote this letter, and in the most ingemane way possible," Yellow ordered, her tone hard, like iron.

"Alright, I'm in," Gaspeite replied, she was getting ready to strut out the door before White stopped her.

"Not like that you're not," White said.

Gaspeite remembered that most Peridots, or small gems altogether, had to wear limb enhancers. Limb enhancers had many purposes, such as making you bigger, stronger, and adding different functions to your body, like creating holograms with your fingers, weaponizing your hands, and even doubling as a new, portable way of transportation. However, according to all the people she has talked to, limb enhancers were extremely uncomfortable and hard to get used to. White and Yellow walked her to a laboratory full of different kinds of limb enhancers. Gaspeite had to try on different limb enhancers for twenty minutes before finding a perfect fit. With the new enhancers, she had to change her entire outfit to match the enhancers, and she had to test out all the features for 10 more minutes. Her friends were right, limb enhancers were uncomfortable, and she couldn't sleep that night. She had to go and look for the authors of the propaganda letter, so she walked the streets tired and clumsy, constantly tripping on the metal, stilt-like extensions of her legs and figuring out how to hold stuff with levitating fingers.

* * *

 _ **"I'm not mean. I'm a thousand years old, and I just lost track of my moral code."**_

 _ **-Marceline the Vampire Queen**_

 **Meh, I felt like it fit. Behold, Gaspeite! The tiny, but mighty mercenary who is off to go and get the foul person who wrote that horrible (Yet true) propaganda letter. Or not... Who knows?**

 **I kind of imagined her to be completely anti-authority and her voice sounds a lot like...a female version of Bill Cipher mixed with Peridot and Marceline. She isn't afraid to mouth off to the Diamonds, and I plan to have a lot of fun making up witty comments for her. :D**

 **What does everyone think of our new character, Gaspeite?**

 **(Ooh, P.S...All Gummed Up, Cry For Help, and The Mercenary Part 1 and 2 have been sitting in my inventory for a while...so if you're keeping track of my writing skills, these probably stink compared to some of my later stuff like Death By Glamour, and Story For Sodalite. Or not..who knows?)**

 **Btw Happy Leap Year! Boing!**


	35. The Mercenary: Part Two

Gaspeite pounded on the door with a few loud metallic clanks of her levitating fist.

A Gem who was actually shorter than the enhanced Gaspeite opened up the door to the apartment meekly. She was wearing a simple yellow dress and she wore something like a hijab which covered her hair. Gaspeite stood regally, which intimidated the Gem who answered the door. It was exactly what Gaspeite wanted from people, the more intimidated they are, the sooner they want her to leave, meaning the sooner she'll get answers.

"Good evening, ma'am," Gaspeite said coldly.

"Good evening." The Gem replied shakily.

"What do you know of this document?" Gaspeite asked, holding up the propaganda letter for her to see.

"Oh, that letter? It was delivered to me by a pale Gem, almost opalescent, her skin was, said her name was Moonstone. She was so nice, I had her over for a few drinks even." The Gem said, smiling. Little did she know, she had given away her relationship with a rebel Gem and gave Gaspeite her first target.

"Thank you for your contribution, ma'am. You have done a great service to your planet." Gaspeite said before slamming the apartment door and speed-walking out of the apartment building to track down the Gem called Moonstone. It made sense, the initials MS on the letter stood for Moonstone. She stood on the edge of the street, and formed a holographic screen with her fingers, she then took a quick scan of the area with the same screen, instantly finding the location of an unregistered Gem. Gaspeite knew that Moonstones were never made in the labs, ever, that Moonstone was the only one of her kind, and she apparently wasn't registered in the system.

After taking a bullet train to the area they were located, Gaspeite kept tracking Moonstone until she reached her exact location. She finally came upon the pale Gem, and she had a companion with her, a slightly shorter Gem with two toned pink and dark blue skin with a fluffy mohawk. They were conversing on the side of the street.

"Yes...my best kill yet, sits right there," Gaspeite whispered before approaching the two Gems casually before stopping, forming her fingers into a plasma gun and holding it against Moonstone's head. "Stop, in the name of the Diamonds," Gaspeite said. She wasn't entirely sure what to do or say in this situation, especially since her targets didn't run or anything like that.

"We don't want any trouble." The pink and blue Gem said as she raised her hands up.

"You should've thought of that when your friend wrote this," Gaspeite replied coldly, holding up the letter.

Moonstone mouthed to Rhodonite, the pink and blue Gem. "What do we do?"

Rhodonite, thinking fast, ran over and pushed Moonstone away from Gaspeite, which caught both Moonstone and Gaspeite off guard. In the confusion, Rhodonite and Moonstone ran into the street as fast as their legs could carry them. Gaspeite ran close behind, she pulled up her handgun, about to shoot until she saw Rhodonite push a Gem off of their speeder, allowing Rhodonite and Moonstone to get on.

"I'm commandeering this speeder, it's for a good cause," Rhodonite said before speeding away.

Gaspeite caught sight of another speeder, shoved the driver off and hopped on.

"I'm commandeering this speeder in the name of the Great Diamond Authority." Gaspeite powered after them.

The chase was officially on. The streets were parted by the oncoming speeders like waters parted by a dam. The two speeders slalomed through the streets, Gaspeite took many shots, but new to maneuvering a speeder, she couldn't have a good aim while trying to keep from swerving. Moonstone was sitting backward, facing their pursuer, giving Rhodonite, the driver, a play-by-play.

"She doesn't seem all that experienced with speeders," Moonstone said.

"My past lives were pretty good drivers, so I just have to remember their techniques," Rhodonite replied.

"But these are newer models!" Moonstone shouted.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty smart. Smart enough to figure them out." Rhodonite said.

"I think she has it figured out now too! She is gaining on us, can you go faster?" Moonstone asked frenetically.

"Yeah, yeah I'm on it. There is a sharp turn coming up, and ha, what do you know, I got a racing model!" Rhodonite shouted with delight as she urged the speeder faster.

There were different models for speeders, rich Gems usually had racing speeders, all terrain speeders that could do tricks, go through tight spaces, and pull off dangerously tight turns. Unfortunately for Gaspeite, she got stuck with a regular model, and the two "fugitives" got a racing speeder. The turn was approaching fast, and by then, Gaspeite was racing beside them. The two drivers, Rhodonite, and Gaspeite, glowered at each other as they kept slamming each other's speeders together. Moonstone frantically turned around and wrapped her arms around Rhodonite's waist to brace for impact. After a few little collisions, Rhodonite and Gaspeite's speeders got stuck together, the exposed wires on the sides got tangled. The turn was about to happen, and Rhodonite decided to act fast and take the turn.

Rhodonite turned her speeder so sharp that it almost flipped over, and with a startled scream, Gaspeite, and her speeder slammed into the wall of a building. Gaspeite leaned the opposite direction to try to avoid getting poofed, but it was no use, Gaspeite poofed as her speeder slammed against the wall and her lifeless Gem flew into the air. Moonstone caught the lifeless Gem and put it inside the compartment in the back of the speeder.

"Did we get her?" Rhodonite asked.

"Kind of. She just poofed, I have her Gem in the back." Moonstone replied.

"Good, she can have many benefits. Interrogation, ransom, or we can just kill her." Rhodonite shrugged.

"Maybe we could take care of her, maybe she doesn't know our cause and she feels oppressed too." Moonstone pondered.

"If she was going to kill us because we wrote that letter, chances are, she's against us. She must've read the letter and decided to side with your sisters." Rhodonite said.

"Or she was offered a reward," Moonstone muttered.

"Oh...you mean like a mercenary? So it _is_ a war, the Diamonds wanted to get rid of us, so they send a pathetic mercenary to do their dirty work, typical." Rhodonite scoffed.

"I say we interrogate her when she regenerates," Moonstone suggested.

"I agree. We just have to find a place to put her, a private place, like a base of some sort. If this really is war, then we have to have a base, a rendezvous." Rhodonite was thinking aloud.

"I know a place, a shallow trench underneath the subway just a few miles north of here. It is deep enough for it to be private and secluded, but shallow enough that it can be accessible by our speeder." Moonstone said.

"Okay, let's go." Rhodonite agreed and sped up the speeder even more. They didn't get a lot of attention while they were driving like they were during the chase, which was perfectly fine. The two didn't want anyone snapping pictures or telling anyone of their location. They reached the trench in a matter of minutes, and drove down the slight slope of the trench wall slowly, eventually hitting the bottom.

"Whoa..." They both gasped in unison as they got off the speeder and looked around. There was a whole 'nother world down there. It was the ruins of an old temple. Rhodonite wasn't sure what it meant, there were no temples anywhere else on Homeworld, so she assumed that there was never any religion. The temple was only half of what it was when it was still standing, the rest was rubble. Moonstone got closer to the pyramid temple and ran her fingers along the faded designs and incantations carved into the stone.

"Are you sure you should be touching that? I mean, it could fall down on us at any time." Rhodonite was unsure of the whole thing.

"Absolutely, according to what I have observed in this temple in the few minutes I've been here, the building is stable. We could take refuge inside, this could be our base." Moonstone said.

Rhodonite picked up two random stones and slammed them together until they made a spark. She summoned her tomahawk, flipped it upside down, sprinkled dirt on the end of the handle, and made the spark again, this time, it lit the dirt on fire, creating a torch.

"Huh, I guess there is a little oxygen left here." Rhodonite shrugged and followed Moonstone into a crack in the temple wall.

Rhodonite's torch made what looked to be an orb of light around them, and the interior of the temple was somewhat intact. They could see the mosaic designs on the floor of celestial bodies and what Rhodonite assumed to be deities that matched them. Rhodonite then shined the light on the walls, which had more designs on them, displaying a scene. In the first picture, it showed a lush, beautiful planet with many plants and animals. The next slide showed a small civilization, with happy dancing Gems, praising the heavens, and Rhodonite noticed that the sun above was replaced by a beautiful woman. After that, the civilization was bigger, and the woman, the sun, seeming to be setting. It was getting darker, and the Gems in the civilization were beginning to look unhappy. Rhodonite's eyes shifted to the next slide, which showed another powerful being, three, in fact, torturing the once happy Gems, and the civilization got bigger. The sun was gone. The final slide, showed another woman, a beautiful pale woman, rising from the darkness and bringing back the light to the world.

"It's a prophecy," Moonstone said quietly.

Rhodonite looked at Moonstone, her mind was still wandering, though, lost in the story. "What does it mean?" Rhodonite asked.

"It means that long ago, when Homeworld began, the Gems were a happy civilization, and the light of good shone on them with the help of Sunstone, one of two light goddesses. As time passed, Sunstone disappeared as people started to lose sight of the light, the greater good, and people were no longer happy when supposedly powerful forces took over and snuffed out the light for good. However, the prophecy promises that a mortal Gem will rise out of the dark and restore the light once more. This temple was built by ancient Gems, long ago, but then, after technology got better and a new, assertive type of Gem was born, then those Gems took over the civilization, bombed out all the temples, and extinguished hope for gemkind. I learned to read these runes when I was a couple 100 years old, and I never forgot them." Moonstone explained.

Rhodonite was stunned, not just by the beauty of the temple or the power of the prophecy, but the way Moonstone looked when telling her story. There was something in her face, something in her eyes that Rhodonite hadn't seen in a long time, it was like a little light, a little star. It made her face light up and skin seem to glow. Rhodonite couldn't put her finger on it...it was hope, and Rhodonite loved it, she cherished it like water in the desert. She was blushing and couldn't focus, at least not until Moonstone snapped her fingers, as though to wake them both up, and give the next order.

"We gotta get our little friend out of the trunk," Moonstone said.

"Wait, are we staying here overnight?" Rhodonite asked.

"Of course! We gotta get settled in." Moonstone said, smiling like nothing could be more simple. She unloaded Gaspeite's gem and took it inside the temple. Rhodonite lit some candles that she found laying around, illuminating the inside of the temple. Moonstone set Gaspeite's gem on the floor and waited a couple seconds before the pale green Gem glowed and rose off the ground.

Gaspeite's reformed quickly, likely because she looked pretty much the same except she had a grey streak across her left eye, a scar from the crash. Gaspeite realized that she wasn't wearing those awful limb enhancers, and without even thinking about where she was, she laid down on the floor and spread out her limbs starfish style.

"Aah, feels good to be out of those things," Gaspeite said with relief.

"You're so small and cute!" Moonstone shouted, much to Gaspeite's surprise and dread. Moonstone couldn't help herself, the mercenary who looked so intimidating before was the size of a child.

Gaspeite jumped up and clenched her fists. "That doesn't mean I won't kill you, I am not small, and not even close to _cute_. I am _lethal_ , _ruthless_ , don't test me!" Gaspeite had a slightly squeaky voice, which made her sound even funnier to Rhodonite and Moonstone.

Moonstone giggled. " You don't even have a weapon! Besides, we don't want to kill you!"

"Well, I want to kill you!" Gaspeite shouted angrily.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You don't even know us. Let's start there. I'm Rhodonite." Rhodonite tried to calm Gaspeite down and held out her hand to shake.

"I don't need your companionship!" Gaspeite slapped Rhodonite's hand.

Rhodonite lightly giggled. "That kinda tickled." Gaspeite's hands were small compared to Rhodonite's.

"We know we wrote that letter, but you have to admit, we do have a point," Moonstone said calmly.

"Of course, you had a point! That letter is exactly what we need here, it's just that my entire life, all that I've ever wanted is resting on your shattered gem shards!" Gaspeite shouted. "Wait, no, forget I ever said-"

"Oh, I see." Rhodonite interrupted Gaspeite. "You work for a price, eh?"

Gaspeite's eyes widened, then she lost her excitement. "You are fugitives, unregistered in the system. How can you possibly have more money than the Diamonds?"

"Here's the deal, you work for us, and if we win, then you can have all the Diamonds offered you and more." Rhodonite smiled.

"And if we lose?" Gaspeite cocked an eyebrow.

"The Diamonds are a dangerous force, their wrath burns worlds. We either win or die trying. You're a businesswoman, so you should know opportunity cost. It's a win-win in my book, you get endless fame and fortune if we win, and you get to go to the heavens early if we lose." Moonstone added.

"Or the hell below us, but that sounds like a good deal. You drive a hard bargain, you two. I'll sleep on it." Gaspeite said.

"We still haven't gotten your name," Moonstone added.

"It's Gaspeite," Gaspeite said. "And I know the pale one is Moonstone, and the weird-looking one is Rhodonite."

"Watch it, shortstop," Rhodonite muttered.

"MAKE FUN OF MY SIZE AGAIN AND I'LL MAKE THAT PRETTY GEM OF YOURS A NECKLACE!" Gaspeite threatened.

"Alright, alright, geez." Rhodonite sighed.

"We better get some rest. Give our guest plenty of time to think." Moonstone said before winking at Gaspeite.

The three settled in for the night, Gaspeite pacing in her mind, Moonstone dreaming of a new Homeworld and the glory of a fulfilled prophecy. She hoped for the light to come again. Rhodonite lied awake for a few hours, haunted by everything that had been happening, and occasionally looking over at Moonstone. Eventually, Rhodonite crawled over to Moonstone and wrapped her arms around her. Moonstone scooted into Rhodonite's embrace and they slept the night, using each other as a safety blanket.

* * *

 **DID SOMEBODY SAY SMALL COMIC RELIEF CHARACTERS?**

 **Geez I feel like I have too many characters...**

 **I don't want to spoil it but Gaspeite actually becomes a main character! So get used to her saltiness hehe**

 **This marks the conclusion of all the chapters I already had written! Which means I'll be back to writing them fresh off the word barbie hehe**

 **(Also why I split this into two parts I have no idea sometimes past me's logic is really hard to grasp)**


	36. A Happy Medium, Sort of

"So have you decided yet?" Moonstone shook a curled up Gaspeite and shouted like a child on Christmas morning.

"GAH!" Gaspeite let out a startled yell.

"Have you?" Moonstone asked.

"Have I what? What happened?" Gaspeite answered groggily, sitting up.

"Do you really need a recap?" Rhodonite was off in the corner bouncing a rock off the walls impatiently. The Sun was shining just barely into the temple, which gave her a shadowy look.

"Alright, alright I got it." Gaspeite stood up and cracked her back. "Let's see," She began to pace. "If I join you, then it's a fifty-fifty win for me, and you...but if I don't join you, I can just kill you and get my money. But...your cause is pretty convincing...urgh! This is really difficult you know, you coulda just let me sleep."

"Nah, we couldn't have," Rhodonite said, catching the rock in one hand.

"You know what? Alright, I'll join you. There, we're all happy...and you can get your girlfriend away from me now, Cluster." Gaspeite said, walking away from Moonstone.

"Yay!" Moonstone shouted without restraint.

"Great...and she's not my girlfriend, okay?" Rhodonite snapped at Gaspeite.

The three sat in silence for a few seconds before Rhodonite asked a question...it seems that it was a morning for interrogation.

"Do you know anything else about the Diamonds' plan?" She asked.

"Nope, they really kept me out of loop...just the way I like it. I do know their strategies with these things, though, and at some point, White and Yellow Diamond are going to write a letter of their own...with some help." Gaspeite replied, cracking her knuckles.

"Help?" Moonstone tilted her head slightly.

"Oh come on, you've been here long enough to know who the greatest writer on Homeworld is, right?" Gaspeite scoffed.

"Oh! Now I remember, White Diamond brings in this one green Gem!" Moonstone snapped her fingers in realization.

"Yes...Maw Sit Sit." Gaspeite overemphasized the S's so that they sounded like the hiss of a snake. "She's been around for quite a while, writing propaganda and pretty much every other document for the Diamonds since the previous Gem War. She's also a great politician herself, and she's wicked with daggers. I mean, she can juggle them and throw them and really boggle your mind with her dexterity."

"How would you know?" Rhodonite asked.

"Let's just say I've had a run-in or two with her...during my training days," Gaspeite said, her expression growing dull and irritable.

"Training? For what? Killing? Stealing?" Rhodonite asked another question, which seemed to push the knife deeper in Gaspeite's wounds.

"Rho..." Moonstone whispered through gritted teeth.

"No, training for what I was actually supposed to do," Gaspeite replied.

Rhodonite tilted her head as though waiting for more.

"Peridot training! Okay! You caught me, I'm probably the most defective Peridot to ever emerge. Wrong appearance, wrong attitude, and you shoulda seen what I did to that crazy box." Gaspeite snapped.

"What did you do to the box? I've tried the box, it's not that hard." Rhodonite said.

"Not that hard...pfft...not that hard! Let me guess, you did it right the first time! Instead of getting it to levitate, I did something that had never been done before...I got it to talk. There was something with my hands...I forget...but I gave the box sentience and it went haywire. I got kicked out of my job, that simple. I'm surprised the Diamonds cared enough to hire me back as a mercenary." Gaspeite began to pace again.

"But when did you see Maw Sit Sit?" Rhodonite asked.

"Rho!" Moonstone shouted scoldingly.

"No, it's alright. This is actually the cool part. After I did that weird thing to the box, I ran off in anxiety, knowing I'd surely be punished or something. I sprinted through the halls, but instead of bumping into some mindless Quartz or something I stumbled into Maw Sit Sit. Man, that girl looks so uptight all the time. I managed to knock the tightly clutched paperwork out of her hands, but of course, she knew who I was...and my sly remark certainly didn't help my case either..." Gaspeite explained.

"Oh, Gold...what did you say to her?" Moonstone asked.

"I made a rather...rude guess on what those papers were...I think my words were, 'What's that? Some fuse fiction on a certain Diamond you're acquainted with?" Gaspeite replied.

Rhodonite face-palmed.

"Hey! That's not even the worst thing I've said to someone! Anyway, she set her papers down and summoned two cleavers that glowed neon green...and dang, she twirled them around and sliced me up good...I have no idea what it was, probably was more advanced than a fusion of human swordplay and ju-jitsu...but it poofed me, even cracked my Gem just a touch, which is probably why my powers of animation aren't as reliable as they once were." Gaspeite finished her story.

"Wait, your Gem has been cracked all this time? Why haven't you taken it to a healer?" Moonstone approached Gaspeite and examined the dusty and dirty green Gem on her shoulder, which had a decent-sized chip in the middle.

"Can't afford it, besides, one look at me and I'm sealed away for my crimes...or worse, experimented because of my un-Peridotly powers." Gaspeite shooed Moonstone away from her Gem.

"At least, you have something to fight for, right? You can fight because of what they did to you!" Rhodonite added.

"I'm sure these next newcomers will think that way, but it's not good to fight for revenge. We should be fighting because this never should've happened, not because it did happen." Gaspeite crossed her arms and turned away, almost ashamed she said something so sentimental.

"Is that why you joined us?" Moonstone asked.

Gaspeite bared her teeth. "No! Wait...I don't know! People aren't gonna stay long if you interrogate them, you know! Anyway, I'm not gonna be much use to ya if we don't go to the InterGalactic Black Market."

"Why do we need to go there?" Rhodonite raised her voice and stood up.

"Did you hear nothing I just said? My Gem is cracked, therefore, I'm defenseless. No weapon, no powers and the Diamonds took my gun. I need to get a new one or I'm just dead flesh to you, and dead flesh doesn't get money or satisfaction...which are basically one in the same. I'm driving, so ya'll are gonna have to sit behind me." Gaspeite began to walk out the door into the Sun. Moonstone and Rhodonite followed.

"Are we just going to listen to her?" Rhodonite whispered to Moonstone.

"Well, we did ask her all those questions. Let's give her this one, and I'll talk to her when we get back, knowing you need some help with sensitivity." Moonstone whispered back.

"Some help?" Rhodonite whisper-argued. "Well, I guess you're right." It turned to a low growl. "But she needs some help too."

"Exactly, which is why I'll help you both. By the time we're through, you'll both be great friends, and you'll know how to make more friends with your new skills of sensitivity and tact!" Moonstone smiled.

"Oh boy..." Rhodonite grumbled.

Gaspeite hopped onto the speeder outside the temple. "Alright, pile on ladies! And don't hold my waist, Cluster...you can do that to your girlfriend, but not me."

"Why...you little.." Rhodonite growled before Moonstone placed a hand on her tense shoulder.

"You can sit behind me! No problem!" Moonstone flashed a big grin at Gaspeite.

Gaspeite smirked. "Mm. Well, chop, chop."

Moonstone and Rhodonite got on the speeder, and Gaspeite began their drive through the city to the Black Market...

* * *

The Black Market was surprisingly more crowded than the actual market...and it was more than just Gems. Aliens from all over the galaxy were gathered here, and there were many types of vendors. However, there seemed to be a monochromatic color code there of black and purple shop decorations. After parking their speeder, the three Gems met in a huddle before dispersing into the crowds.

"I have some money from my last...commission... to buy the newest pistol model. You guys can look around, and I'll find at least one of you." Gaspeite said.

"Commission...I guess con artist does have the word 'artist' in it..." Rhodonite muttered.

Gaspeite shot a glare at Rhodonite. "Preferably Moonstone."

"Alrighty then!" Moonstone let out a nervous chuckle. "We'll see you!" Moonstone began to walk towards the market. "Come on, Rhodonite!"

"Try anything funny and I'll poof you." Rhodonite grabbed Gaspeite by the shirt and growled.

"Oh please, we should really be worrying about you, Cluster. Try not to kill anyone while Moonstone and I aren't looking." Gaspeite pulled Rhodonite's hand away and walked off.

"Rhodonite! Let's go!" Moonstone called from the crowd. Rhodonite ran after her until she was by her side.

"Are we even going to buy anything, or are we just looking?" Rhodonite asked slowing to Moonstone's walking speed.

"Don't try to change the subject, I know what you did back there," Moonstone said coldly.

"Wha-What?" Rhodonite asked breathily.

"You want to be like Rose Quartz, yet you don't even trust your first follower. Violence is not going to get her respect, it merely proves everyone's theories of you. Control begins with freedom, then you know their character and what to expect, it also starts with trust. If Gaspeite decides to betray or use us, then that's her choice. Not giving her that choice or giving her fear of that choice is a dictatorship, which is exactly how my sisters rule, and I will not support someone who will just tear the Homeworld people apart a few years after saving them. Do you understand?" Moonstone replied, her eyes focused on the path ahead, not even turning to look at Rhodonite.

Rhodonite was stunned, she had never heard Moonstone say anything like this, but she knew she was right, so she decided not to argue. "Yes."

"Good. Now, I want you to reflect, but don't let it ruin your time, alright?" Moonstone smiled.

Rhodonite grinned back. "Aye." She turned her head to see a booth with a sign in a random alien language, however, Moonstone and Rhodonite decided to approach it. It seemingly had a counter made of scrap metal, and the vendor had the scaly face of an aquatic creature. The vendor looked female, and she had scruffy, long purple hair and iridescent jade scales. She was wearing a blue dress with an oil-stained white apron. Her hands and face also were covered in oil. Behind her and surrounding the kiosk was an assortment of droids.

"Oh! It's an artificial intelligence shop!" Moonstone smiled at the sign.

"You bet! What kind of services do you need?" The fish lady behind the counter flashed a grin.

While Moonstone and the vendor struck up a friendly conversation, Rhodonite played around the droids surrounding the shop. She tapped an Astromech unit, only to have it beep and chirrup at her angrily.

"Aye, you woke it up! Don't try anything, you might break one!" The fish lady shouted.

"Ah, don't worry! I've dealt with plenty of these in my day." Rhodonite moved away from the Astromech to a cyborg-like droid. Its robotic eyes were closed, and all lights on it were off. Rhodonite tapped the panel on its chest a few times before it suddenly erupted into a burst of blinking lights and loud beeping noises. The eyes on the robot opened quickly and it moved its head slowly back and forth as the mouth moved like a ventriloquist doll.

"H-Hooow M-m-may I H-help y-y-y..." It stuttered as it short-circuited, shortly after, the head blew off of the robot's shoulders and flew into the air like a small rocket, eventually crashing through the canopy of the shop across the street, destroying a few of the antique vases there.

The fish lady shot an annoyed look at Rhodonite as she scratched under one of the fins on her face. "That was a work in progress. Who knew it would be a bad idea to leave it in front of the shop."

Moonstone let out an exasperated sigh. "Sorry, ma'am. We'll be on our way." She put a few Universal credits on the counter.

"Lovely talking to you, though, Miss!" The fish lady said, waving at Moonstone just as they were walking away.

"Next time, don't touch anything." Moonstone gave a light punch on Rhodonite's arm.

Rhodonite managed to giggle. "Okay."

* * *

 **And BONUS SCENE because I can't turn down inspiration:**

* * *

Many nights were spent where Rhodonite would wrap around a curled up Moonstone, but of course, they didn't think much of it...at least not until Gaspeite showed up.

"What I would kill for a camera right now..." Gaspeite whispered, grinning like the Chesire cat as she laid on her belly in front of the sleeping Gems. "They're so peaceful...It would be a shame if someone were to wake them up..."

Gaspeite's grin managed to get bigger.

"THE DIAMONDS ARE COMING!" Gaspeite shouted in Rhodonite's ear.

"OH GOLD THEY FOUND US! MOONSTONE GET UP, I WON'T LET THEM KILL YOU!" Rhodonite jumped up faster than you could say "noodles" and drew her tomahawk.

Gaspeite rolled onto her back like a dead waterbug and kicked her legs back and forth, guffawing loudly, even snorting occasionally.

Moonstone sat up and pulled Rhodonite down to her level. "It's fine, Gaspeite just pulled a prank on us, no one is coming."

Gaspeite snorted. "And I got you guys so good! Though I have to admit, you did look pretty cute snuggling together. I almost didn't want to ruin it."

"Snuggling?" Moonstone looked at Rhodonite, who's cheeks were cherry red.

"It's called keeping warm! I wouldn't want her to freeze!" Rhodonite shouted in defense.

"Right..." Gaspeite and Moonstone said at the same time in suspicion.

* * *

 **Oh, brother...**

 **It seems as though Moonstone has her work cut out for her. Rho and Gaspeite will probably fight like Natsu and Grey *ahem* Cats and Dogs for a while. Poor Moonie.**

 **For character development purposes, this chapter is really a compilation of random sketches featuring the three Gems. Enjoy! This sort of shows different sides of our original protagonists. Moonstone's reluctance and knowledge of living through the centuries with the Diamonds, as well as her motherly nature combine to create her monolog and her attitude in these sketches. Rhodonite shows a bit of a childish side in this one, almost like she is stooping to the lows of Gaspeite just to challenge her.**

 **I also apologize for taking so long! Writing has been slow for me, the stress of well, life, has been putting me in such an awful block that eventually evolved into a hovering anxiety that struck me whenever I wrote...but I am hoping that it's gone and I can get back to doing what I love! I have also noticed a bunch of people following and favoriting...which is great! I absolutely love the support and it makes my day! Thank you so much!**

 **Reviews are encouraged!**


	37. Blood Stained Hands

It was a slow day at the temple base, which meant sleeping in, and sitting around trying to figure out what to do. Moonstone had gone out and brought back some torches and lanterns to light the inside of the dark temple. However, there was only a strip of natural light that came from the entryway and small vesicles on the walls. Rhodonite and Gaspeite had found entertainment in a pull-up contest using one of the support beams in the ceiling. Whoever stopped first was the loser. Rhodonite had changed into a navy blue racerback tank top and pink shorts, and Gaspeite was wearing the same, except her tank top was grey and her shorts, brown.

Moonstone stopped underneath the two Gems who were panting, breathing heavily. "What are you two doing again?"

"Pull-up contest, Moonie. Whoever stops loses, I have to be focused." Rhodonite panted.

"Focused? If this was a focus contest, then I'm already sure to win!" Gaspeite cackled.

"You wish!" Rhodonite stuck her tongue out at Gaspeite.

"I guess this is good, then you'll be in shape for fighting..." Moonstone added.

"Excellent observation!" Rhodonite said, grunting as she pulled herself up.

Moonstone kept watching the two Gems, almost mesmerized by the rhythmic movements of their shoulder blades and spines as they pulled their weights up and down. What caught her eye were the scratches down Rhodonite's back, deep cuts that sliced through her skin like trenches in the Earth.

"Where'd you get those, Rho?" Moonstone asked, tilting her head.

"Where'd I get what? My physique? Well, a magician never spills her secrets." Rhodonite grinned.

"No, those scars! Where did you get the scars? Are they recent?" Moonstone asked.

Rhodonite blinked her eyes, only to show a blink of a flashback. The sharp, thorned whip held by a graceful, yet harsh blue hand, a piercing cry for help wiped away, overpowered by the crack of the weapon on her skin. The whip crack echoed in her ears.

"Ah!" Rhodonite mimicked the cry of the victim in the flashback as she let go of the support beam and fell on her back.

"Hah! I win!" Gaspeite jumped down and landed on her feet. "Thanks for helping me, Moonstone."

"I wasn't helping you, I was just asking. I had never seen those scars before..." Moonstone helped Rhodonite to her feet.

"Those scars were from a long time ago, during my...Sodalite's slavery days." Rhodonite said.

"S-Sodalite..." Moonstone stuttered. "Oh Gold, you're not mad at me for that, are you?"

"I told you about her a long time ago, it's no big deal." Rhodonite held Moonstone's shoulder gently as Moonstone looked up into her eyes.

"Hello? Am I missing something? Should I just ignore you guys or what?" Gaspeite tapped on Rhodonite's shoulder.

Moonstone shied away from Rhodonite's gaze..."It ends tonight."

"What?" Rhodonite and Gaspeite said at the same time.

"I hurt you, Rho, it may not have been now, but it was then...and I hurt so many other people in the past too, I-I...I'm one of them, still..." Moonstone's voice was breaking.

"No, you're not, you didn't kill me. What you did wasn't you, it was your sisters, brainwashing you." Rhodonite pulled Moonstone closer.

"And I let them, it's still my hands their blood was on, and I will always be Blue Diamond until I end it. We go to the palace tonight, and we kill Blue Diamond." Moonstone pushed away from Rhodonite. "And I'm going to have her blood on my hands, for everyone who ever wanted to feel that cursed liquid run through their fingers." Moonstone couldn't help but imagine everything that she had done... she found it hard to call Rhodonite a monster when she was the one who had actually killed people. Shattered for the silliest of crimes, whipped and cut and beaten off of her whim. It may sound dramatic, but it haunted her every night. Survivor's guilt, the humans called it. The screams of every life she had taken and ruined echoed in her head...but lately, she had heard Sodalite's loudest of all. It was almost torture to hear that same cry in Rhodonite, that same nervous smile, those same eyes, every time she looked at her or heard her, it was some strange form of torture, yet she couldn't get enough of it.

"I'm still confused..." Gaspeite said.

"I'll tell you on the way," Rhodonite replied as they drove off at high speeds. Moonstone did everything rough when determined.

* * *

White Diamond settled into the hot tub in Royal Gardens. The birds were chirping, fresh air and the aroma of many exotic flowers filled her nostrils. Luckily, the water was deep enough so that onlookers couldn't see anything. It had to be that way since White Diamond was going to be consulting with someone from the hot tub. She pulled up a holo-screen that was attached to the hot tub, checking the time.

"Ugh, she's never one to be late...There's only a minute left until it's time..." White Diamond muttered to herself before hearing the door slam open.

"My Diamond? Where are you, my Diamond?" A low, deep, smooth, emotional female voice echoed through the gardens, yet the voice was feeble and obedient.

"In the clearing!" White Diamond called back.

After a few minutes, a dark green, scrawny Gem stumbled out of the jungle path, trying her hardest to keep the papers and books in her arms from drifting out of them and onto the ground. She was tall, wearing a black kimono with emerald blossoms embroidered on it. The kimono had a long, dramatic train and the sleeves hung low as well. The Gem's skin was a brilliant jade color, and her hair was an olive green, tied tight in a bun except for a stray curly hair that dangled tauntingly between her eyes.

"Ms. Sit Sit! How lovely of you to come!" White Diamond said with comradery.

"Ms. Sit Sit? Um..my Diamond..." The green Gem began to speak quietly.

"I'm sure to be correct. You would never get human married, Maw Sit Sit...so it would only be Miss." White Diamond replied.

"I was just going to ask why you called me to work...here." Maw Sit Sit looked around at the gardens.

"Oh, I thought it would be inspiring for you. Call it what you will, but this garden has always been my seemingly natural habitat. Yours, on the other hand, would be talking about politics with the other aristocrats at my parties when you should be dancing, or hiding away in your bedroom as you type away at Gold knows what. That will never get you a partner, dear." White said.

"You really should be discussing politics with the aristocrats, not me." Maw Sit Sit mumbled.

"What was that?" White Diamond asked threateningly, holding her hand over her Gem as though getting ready to summon her weapon.

"Nothing, my Diamond. What is it you have called me for?" Maw Sit Sit asked quietly, flinching.

"Have you heard of the latest attempt to overthrow me, Sit Sit?" White Diamond answered with a question.

"No, my Diamond." Maw Sit Sit replied.

"A letter has been released by two delinquents, two outcasts who plan to destroy the system just because they're not in it. Rhodonite, a Cluster, and an unknown Gem named Moonstone. We need to compose a letter of our own and fight back. I have a mercenary out right now trying to kill them before a war starts, but we need to eliminate all threat of revolution...Now, where to begin..." White Diamond explained.

"Well, first, I need to read the letter, my Diamond." Maw Sit Sit said. "And wasn't Rhodonite in your custody?"

Yes, she was, but my sister Blue Diamond released her. Don't tell anyone about that, by the way." White Diamond glared at Maw Sit Sit threateningly.

Maw Sit Sit nodded fearfully.

Anyway, here is the letter they wrote addressing the Homeworld people." White Diamond whipped out her holographic screen, only to be interrupted by another slam of the entrance door and a blaring alarm.

"My Diamond!" The husky voice of a Quartz echoed through the gardens. "There has been a breach in Blue Diamond's bedroom! They look like assassins!"

Maw Sit Sit quickly took action and grabbed a dress hanging next to the hot tub. She gave it to White Diamond and turned away as she got dressed. White Diamond always dressed quickly, and who could blame her, being a Diamond was a busy job...most Gems found it surprising, yet not surprising that White Diamond could keep up such high fashion.

"We'll discuss the letter later, wait here, Ms. Sit Sit." White Diamond began to run out of the gardens.

"Why should I wait, can't I come too?" Maw Sit Sit asked.

"No, it's much too dangerous for you, you're too important." White Diamond shouted before the door closed behind her.

* * *

Rhodonite, Gaspeite, and Moonstone managed to get a ship to take them to the window in Blue Diamond's bedroom, where the injector was sitting on the table. It was becoming twilight, so they had the cover of night, but not much else was going for the three ragtag Gems. Gaspeite was piloting in the cockpit of the small starship they rented, and she opened the hatch to allow Moonstone and Rhodonite to jump through the window. The citadel seemed like an old home to Moonstone, as though she were coming back to a war zone she had once fought in, and the tidied up furniture was the carnage left behind. The wind from the spaceship's turbines blew Moonstone and Rhodonite's hair as Rhodonite grabbed Moonstone's hand.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Rhodonite asked.

Moonstone had a determined glare across her face. "Absolutely."

Rhodonite nodded in affirmation. "Mm. Let's do this."

Moonstone, with her other hand, placed her hand on her Gem as it glowed ice blue, white, and lilac purple. She grasped and pulled out an iridescent and pristine blue and silver bo staff. It seemed to radiate light the color of a clear summer sky. Moonstone and Rhodonite jumped off the ship and crashed through the bedroom window, the entire glass wall shattering completely.

The two Gems landed on the floor, surrounded by glass. The security alarms in the palace immediately sounded, and it interrupted the thought process of both Moonstone and Rhodonite.

"We have to find the injector!" Moonstone shouted, standing up and running over the glass, which Rhodonite found surprising that she didn't stop to leap.

"It was over on the desk, I remember!" Rhodonite yelled back as she got up and walked over the broken glass as well.

Moonstone ran over to the desk where Rhodonite and her wrote the propaganda letter that started this whole thing. She picked up the small injector full of luminous blue Gem matter that she recognized as hers. She stared at it for a long time, her hair still blowing away from her face because of the ship turbines outside.

"What are you waiting for? Shatter it!" Rhodonite shouted, summoning her tomahawk for safety, she had heard approaching footsteps.

"I...I..." Moonstone couldn't seem to bring herself to do it. She wanted to change, she wanted to end it, but there was something keeping her from taking the leap and shattering the injector. She stared at her hands, her calloused, yet elegant hands. They looked the same as the hands that had destroyed so many lives...the hands that bore the whip for slaves and Pearls, the hands that were stained with blood from all over the galaxy. It was in that moment when she realized that it was never really going to change. She was always going to be the one responsible for everything, no matter what name or appearance she went by. Sure, being Moonstone helped her forget, but maybe, she thought, maybe it would be better to tell her sisters the truth...that she was going to rebel against them, and that she never wanted to be like them. Maybe, she thought, that Rhodonite doesn't care about the past because they already have such a bright future...

"Moonstone! Do it now!" Rhodonite yelled as the bedroom door burst open. Instead of Quartz or Ruby guards flooding the room, Yellow and White Diamond had entered.

Out of surprise, Moonstone clenched her fists, breaking the glass injector and spilling the Gem matter all over her hands...Blue Diamond's blood was on her hands, just as she had promised.

White Diamond looked over at Moonstone and her blood-stained hands and gasped. "Blue Diamond!"

"What?" Yellow Diamond asked and turned to White, but she was already approaching Moonstone, pulling out her white war fans threateningly.

"You...YOU! You're the one they call Moonstone, aren't you? First you take our Cluster, then threaten our thrones, now THIS?" White Diamond asked, enraged.

"I...I..." Moonstone stuttered, having her sisters be this angry at her was one of her worst nightmares, all she could do was stay frozen and hope to be shattered...

"Moonstone!" Rhodonite called out to her as she was being backed into a corner by Yellow Diamond, dealing with a monolog of her own. "You can't let them win! If you do, this is all for nothing! Face your fears, you're free! You're not in their grasp anymore, stand up, be a Crystal Gem! For my sake!"

Moonstone turned back to White Diamond's gaze just as she brought down her war fan. However, Moonstone blocked it with her bo staff and pushed it away. A duel broke out between the two Gems, and it meant life and death for Moonstone, but for White Diamond, it was all about revenge.

"Cluster...I KNEW you would be responsible for our destruction, now look at you, going to kill us off with some war over a fake cause! Clever...clever...but with every clever villain, there's an even greater hero!" Yellow Diamond summoned a grand golden sword and attempted to thrust into Rhodonite's abdomen.

"Gaspeite! Little help!" Rhodonite called, not sure what else to do.

"Gaspeite? The mercenary? Oh, that little runt! How dare she defy me again, she'll die next!" Yellow Diamond growled.

Gaspeite turned the spaceship so that the cockpit and small blasters faced the inside of the bedroom. "I don't know, Rho! After that last comment, I'm really thinking about blasting out of here and grabbing a drink!"

"Oy, you coward! Just shoot already!" Rhodonite growled in frustration.

"Coward? Oh, you're on!" Gaspeite couldn't turn down a competition, so she began shooting with the ship's blasters, shattering lights and breaking through walls. She completely annihilated the bedroom in a series of small explosions. During the smoky confusion, Yellow Diamond evacuated the commotion, however, White Diamond wasn't finished yet.

"Run! We have to leave, now!" Rhodonite commanded, noticing a very angry White Diamond running after them, her hair burned in some areas and clothes tattered. Moonstone followed Rhodonite to the ship with blue blood on her hands and clothes and glass shards in her skin. Gaspeite turned the ship around quickly so that Moonstone and Rhodonite could quickly jump back on. Gaspeite began closing the door to the ship, but of course, the hatch was slow to close.

White Diamond stopped at the edge of the room and threw her war fan into the ship with a roar of wrath, hoping it would hit one of the two assassins. The fan hit the back wall of the ship just as the door closed.

"This is war, you hear? No one kills a Diamond without death as a fine!" White Diamond yelled as the ship flew off. White Diamond stormed off from the bedroom, her own tears welling in her eyes over the death of her sister. Maw Sit Sit managed to catch her in the hallway.

"Now that that's over, do you want to get back to writing the letter?" Maw Sit Sit asked, oblivious to what had happened.

"No, we'll meet again tomorrow, but this time, in my bedroom. Those dirty sister killers are going to pay...hard." White growled as she kept walking.

* * *

 **At the temple base...**

"Nice one, Moonstone! Now it's a real fight! Man, you guys are crazy for doing something like this...and you're just lucky I happen to like crazy." Gaspeite gushed as they walked into the base. Granted, it was an action-packed night, and the three Gems were just glad to be home. It was completely dark now, but Rhodonite took the initiative to turn on the lights so Moonstone wouldn't have to.

"Welp, I'm ready for a nap," Gaspeite said before falling backward onto the floor. "Aaaah..." She sighed.

Moonstone averted Rhodonite and sat at the base of a Sunstone statue in the center of the temple. Rhodonite decided to sit next to her. Moonstone's eyes were fixed on her hands, which were still covered in blue liquid.

"Aw geez, you really need to wash your hands. Here...let me help you." Rhodonite wrapped her own hand in Moonstone's bloody one, then pulled away to reveal that she had acquired some of the liquid on her hand. She lightly giggled. "It feels like soap."

"Not to me, it feels like blood," Moonstone said, pulling her knees closer to her chest and resting her head on them.

"Hey, come on, just pretend this stuff is soap. Soap cleans ya up, all you have to do is rinse it out with some new feelings." Rhodonite smiled.

Moonstone couldn't suppress a small grin.

"I'll take a bath too, with you. Maybe that will make us forget everything..." Rhodonite rubbed the blood all over her face, then smeared it across Moonstone's forehead.

"Rho...that's disgusting..." Moonstone groaned, almost indulgently.

"Okay, what about this..." Rhodonite pulled Moonstone in for a kiss on the lips, which came as a pleasant surprise to Moonstone. Rhodonite pulled away, blushing. "There, now whenever you look back at this, you'll think of that. Association, it's scientific."

"Probably not." Moonstone giggled.

"Just pretend it is, okay?" Rhodonite whispered.

"Okay..." Moonstone slowly laid down on Rhodonite's lap.

Rhodonite smiled and closed her eyes as she stroked Moonstone's hair almost absent-mindedly. She thought back to the first Gem War...so many years ago...Howlite was always an anxious Gem, so Sodalite would sing to her every night while holding her.

 _"Soda...? Are you awake?"_

 _"What? You can't sleep?"_

 _"How could I? You're forgetting about the threat of attack."_

 _"Never bothered me before, come closer and I'll protect you."_

Even though it was merely a memory, Rhodonite could feel the warmth and weight of Howlite's body on her chest, as if she was snuggling with two Gems instead of just the one. She decided to sing the song for her anxious friends, both imaginary and real.

 _Go to sleep, my child,_

 _Though war outside rage wild,_

 _In the end, it'll be all worthwhile,_

 _Just lean on me, my child._

 _Keep dreaming on, my child,_

 _Though doubt roar dark and vile,_

 _When we're through, you're sure to smile,_

 _For now, just dream, my child._

 _Do not fear, my child,_

 _'Spite enemy so wild,_

 _Just fight through for a while,_

 _It will be good, my child._

 _Hold on to your hopes, my child,_

 _Keep your spirit mild,_

 _And avoid getting riled,_

 _Everything will be okay, my child._

* * *

 **Urgh this took forever...sorry about the wait ya'll.**

 **Wait, is that really all I had to say?**

 **Oh yeah, looks like it's finally a war...and White Diamond is particularly targeting Moonstone...that dirty sister killer.**

 **Moonstone is definitely traumatized, it's like a kid confronting their abusive parents...and surprisingly, just barely surviving? Geez, and to see one's own lifeforce in their hands is a little...err...depressing. Luckily, Rhodonite is there to help! She's dealt with all kinds of things with Howlite, so she's ready to be a good friend to poor Moonie in her time of need.**

 **You're probably all going to say at least one thing about the song so I might as well add a fun fact about it. I had no idea when I was going to use this song in the story, if ever, I was almost going to save it for later, but this seemed to fit in just fine.**

 **Reviews are so encouraged on this! So please tell me your thoughts!**

 **(Also, for people wondering what the heck I will be doing with Skimming the Surface...I will be continuing it! St** **ay tuned!)**

 **(Gueeesss who's on FictionPress? Meeee)**


	38. Casual Dreams (Short)

"Wait, you can see? How? It was hypothesized that-" Sodalite stuttered before getting interrupted.

"Who cares? Oh, I'm so relieved!" It was the first time Howlite had smiled really big in a long time. Howlite reached out her hand and felt around Sodalite's face and rustled her hair. "You must be Sodalite! The shadow stranger who talked to me! And this must be the rehabilitation room, what is the rest of Earth like? You have to show me!" Howlite was so excited that she was shaking.

"Are you sure you're ready? I mean, I don't want to be a buzzkill, but I...you may have forgotten how to function without my help. And you are really far from your Homeworld and-" Sodalite began.

"That's why you need to show me! You can help me!" Howlite shouted, grabbing Sodalite's hand. "Please?"

"Okay, but take it slow," Sodalite replied as she helped Howlite stand up. Howlite was still a bit unbalanced, like a baby deer learning how to walk. No matter how excited Howlite was, there was a small bit of fear in this new experience. How would the other Crystal Gems react to her presence? What if her augmentation acted up again and this disappeared? What if the base got attacked? However, those fears were not the ones controlling her. It may sound small, but Howlite had this weird fear, the kind you get when introduced to a strange new place or topic, she wasn't entirely sure what to do actually, and it was this constant guard, this constant fear of the future, that kept her from completely having fun.

The two Gems walked out of the rehabilitation center and out into the lobby-type area. It reminded Howlite of her old barracks, which made her feel better, as well as Sodalite's hand wrapped around hers.

"Say, who's the new Gem, Soda?" A red Gem asked.

"This is Howlite, Spinel. She just got out of the rehab center." Sodalite replied. Howlite diverted her gaze from Sodalite and Spinel. She had lost her usual confidence during her time in the center and had become quite shy and anxious.

"White Diamond, I see." Spinel looked at the emblem on Howlite's clothes. "Don't worry, though, we'll get that changed in no time." Spinel smiled.

"C-changed?" Howlite stuttered quietly, looking at down at her clothes.

Spinel chuckled. "Don't worry about it!" She dove in to try and playfully punch Howlite on the arm, but Howlite flinched hard and lightly gasped. She backed away, almost hiding behind Sodalite.

"Whoa...easy." Sodalite grabbed Howlite's hand and clenched it.

"She's a little touchy, are you sure she should be out of the center so early?" Spinel asked.

"Yeah, she's fine, just needs to get back in the swing of things, and what better way to do that then show her how we swing the things!" Sodalite said.

"I guess so. Good luck!" Spinel replied and waved them away.

Howlite was beginning to not be so close to Sodalite the more she showed her things. However, they still held hands. It was nighttime now, and Howlite sort of liked walking underneath a different sky. Sodalite wasn't sure what it was about the beach, but she liked taking newcomers there. Sodalite had taken the time to show Howlite around the base, around the beach, and she educated her on some Earth things. Now the two were sitting on the beach, careful not to let the water touch them, for it would cause Howlite's augmentation to short-circuit.

"Thanks...for helping me," Howlite said quietly.

"You would've forced me to anyway," Sodalite replied before chortling.

"Very funny, but I'm being serious," Howlite said.

"Argh, you Homeworld Gems are always serious. You aren't the first, you know." Sodalite smiled.

"How can I be laid-back? Don't you realize that this is a war?" Howlite shouted, raising her arms.

"Yeah." Sodalite shrugged, then laid back in the sand, looking at the stars.

"Ugh, how are you so relaxed? Don't you realize that tomorrow, you could be blown to oblivion by a Homeworld attack? Or stabbed by a traitor? That you are constantly in harm's way all the time? How can you lay down like that with that knowledge?" Howlite said loudly.

Sodalite shrugged again. "I don't know. Why are _you_ so stressed about everything?"

"You have to know _something_! Besides, I'm not stressed...I'm perfectly fine." Howlite crossed her arms.

"I know you're stressed, and I know it's not because of the war, you are making this bigger than it already is, and that is completely your doing," Sodalite said calmly.

"I'm not making things bigger than they already are, you're making things smaller!" Howlite argued.

"Calm down, lay on the sand, it's nice and cold," Sodalite replied in a seductive way, patting a place for her on the sand.

"Fine, but if I get sand in my circuits it's your fault." Howlite laid down on her back next to Sodalite. "I mean, how is this my fault? You have no idea what I've had to go through, I bet all you had to do was sign-up for Rose's army, or catch a ship to Earth. I was thrown here against my will!"

"I didn't catch a ship, in fact, I didn't sign up. I stole a ship, and Rose found me, same as you. It's your fault because you are choosing to let these things linger in your mind, and you won't last very long out here if you let the past and all these fears clog your mind all the time. Get it?" Sodalite explained.

"I understand," Howlite replied.

The two sat in silence for a bit and admired the calm. From the light crashing of the waves, to the lively cricket rhapsodies, to Sodalite's light humming, which suddenly pierced the quiet.

The humming turned to singing, and Sodalite's eyes were closed relaxedly:

 _Let's go in the garden, you'll find something waiting, right there where you left it laying upside down..._

 _When you finally find it, you'll see how it's faded, the underside is lighter when you turn it around..._

 _Everything stays, right where you left it, everything stays, but it still changes..._

 _Ever so slightly, daily and nightly, in little ways, when everything stays..._

"Where'd you hear that?" Howlite asked.

"A human taught it to me," Sodalite replied, opening her eye to look at Howlite.

"It's nice...but what is it?" Howlite answered with a question.

"You've never heard music before? Oh, I forgot, Homeworld doesn't know how to have fun." Sodalite lightly chuckled.

Howlite giggled. "I can second that." Howlite closed her eyes, and the white diamond emblem on her clothes glowed and quickly morphed into a star.

"You changed it?" Sodalite sat up slightly to look at Howlite.

"Yep, I'm staying here." Howlite smiled.

* * *

 ** _Life and Death and Love and Birth and Peace and War on the Planet Earth,_**

 ** _Is the anything that's worth more than Peace and Love on the Planet Earth._**

 ** _I guess we're already here, I guess we already know._**

 ** _We've all got something to fear, we've all got nowhere to go._**

 ** _I think you're all insane, but I guess I am too._**

 ** _Anybody would be if they were stuck on Earth with you!_**

 **Meh, felt like it fit the story.**

 **I couldn't write a song to fill in for Sodalite's part, so I just picked a favorite of mine that I used to play in my head during anxiety attacks.**

 **This is a random sketch I wrote, back when Howlite suddenly regained her vision. After the events of _Story for Sodalite_ , Howlite is a shell of her usual, confident self. She was always the kind to constantly be stressed, but now that she's plunging into the unknown like this...she becomes this lost, scared, little Gem. I'm sure every Crystal Gem can relate. **


	39. A Gift

Whir, Whir, Whir, Whir... Rhodonite's eyes opened slowly to the sound of a speeder dying down. She was instantly blinded by a small bit of sun that peeked into the temple ruins. She noticed Gaspeite leaning casually against the doorway and decided to walk over and see what was happening.

"Looks like your girlfriend's back," Gaspeite said as Rhodonite leaned on the other side of the doorway.

"Good morning to you too. And she's not my girlfriend, okay?" Rhodonite replied. "I didn't even know she left, do you know what she was doing?"

"Well..." Gaspeite trailed off guiltily.

"What happened?" Rhodonite asked scoldingly.

"Moonie left a note in the sand over there, but it wasn't until I stepped on it in a groggy morning slump that I realized it was there. My footprint made it practically unreadable, so I just thought, 'Eh, screw it' and I drew a nude Pearl over it...Yeah, it was great." Gaspeite explained nonchalantly, shrugging.

"Gaspeite!" Rhodonite shouted, still scolding.

"What? I was tempted!" Gaspeite shouted back in defense.

"You gotta be more careful! If we didn't see that note, Moonstone could've been killed out there and we would have never known!" Rhodonite argued.

"Geez, okay _mom_! I think Moonstone can handle herself out there, she's her own Gem and you gotta respect that." Gaspeite said back.

"Good morning, you two!" Moonstone's voice cut through the argument. Rhodonite and Gaspeite looked over to see the cloaked figure of Moonstone jump off her speeder and run over to them, carrying a small, black box.

Moonstone hugged Rhodonite and Gaspeite. "I have a gift for you, Rho." She ran excitedly into the temple.

"What am I, discarded meat?" Gaspeite asked.

"Well, it's more of a gift for all of us," Moonstone replied gently.

"Aw, see? Look what ya did, it was originally a gift for me." Rhodonite muttered as she nudged Gaspeite on the shoulder, causing her to almost fall.

"It was always a gift for all of us, you guys," Moonstone added as she set her cloak down.

"Well, what is it?" Gaspeite asked.

Moonstone approached the two Gems with the small black box. After Moonstone opened the small box, Rhodonite and Gaspeite peered in to see a black Gem. It was in a Cabochon cut, like most Pearls. It was shiny, polished, but opaque so that it showed no reflection. However, it had several scratches on it.

"You got us a Gem?" Rhodonite asked.

"Not just any Gem, I got us a Pearl!" Moonstone replied excitedly.

"A Pearl? H-How did you afford it? Only the richest Gems can have Pearls! Where did you get it? They usually have to be custom-made!" Gaspeite was immediately starstruck.

"Well, I went shopping at the InterGalactic Black Market today, and they were selling this one for real cheap! I figured, that it could help us with the war...You know, we need as many heads as we can get!" Moonstone explained.

"I'm pretty sure it'd be more useful if one of us grew a second head than if we bought a Pearl, this one is probably like all the others...Shallow, fawning, doesn't know a thing about fighting." Rhodonite added.

"The shopkeeper said this one was the rebellious type! Have a little faith, Rho!" Moonstone said.

Suddenly, the Gem rose from the box and radiated a bluish-black light, much to everyone's surprise. A petite, yet muscular body was formed, and the silhouette seemed graceful, the body in an arabesque position. The Gem finally formed, and it was a bit shocking at first. The Gem had skin like volcanic ash and hair like a starless winter night, which was kept in a tight ballerina bun. She was wearing a black tunic leotard, which reminded Rhodonite of the Pearl back on Earth, except this one had no logo of any alliance, her clothes had no diamonds nor stars. Underneath the leotard, there were white leggings, with ballet slippers to match. The Gem opened her eyes, revealing the stark, grey irises and piercing black pupil, which reminded Rhodonite of Howlite, eyes that were drained of their color, expression nowhere to be seen. There was a dark grey scar down her right eye that looked rather menacing. The Gem was placed on her chest, like Yellow Diamond's Pearl.

"Oy..." Gaspeite said in approval.

"You'll never get me alive ya-," The Black Pearl said, drawing her ebony spear and waving it around before realizing where she was.

"Um, Hi there!" Moonstone approached the Pearl welcomingly.

The Pearl held her spear up to Moonstone's neck. "I demand you to tell me where I am!" She said forcefully. Her voice was articulated and guttural.

Moonstone chuckled nervously. "You're on Homeworld...we're your new owners...Now please put the weapon down..."

"I'm not being owned by _anyone_!" The Black Pearl walked away from Moonstone. She stabbed her spear into the sand. "Homeworld..." She whispered. "How did I get here?"

"Moonstone bought you from the Black Market? Does that ring a bell?" Gaspeite asked.

"Black Market...Those damn Gallifreyans think they can get rid of me that way, huh? Well, they have another thing coming, and it's me!" The Black Pearl stomped over to her spear, snatched it up, and began to storm out of the temple.

"Wait! I didn't pay one million Homeworld credits for you to just leave!" Moonstone shouted.

"Tough luck." The Black Pearl replied without so much as turning her head.

"I mean, don't you want to help us?" Moonstone tried to argue.

"With what? Give me three reasons why I should stay." Black Pearl turned abruptly to face Moonstone.

"I figured you could help us with our cause..." Moonstone said.

"Cause? Oh, hell no." Black Pearl replied.

"But, the shopkeeper said you were a rebellious one?" Moonstone added.

"Yeah, I'm a rebel without a cause," Black Pearl shrugged.

"Don't you want to free your fellow Pearls from oppression here on Homeworld?" Moonstone asked.

"Pearls are perfectly capable of doing that themselves, they don't need my help." Black Pearl replied.

"But they need _you_ to rally them!" Moonstone argued.

"No, they can rally themselves." Black Pearl said. "You have one more reason, now make it snappy, I have a ship to Gallifrey to catch."

"Ugh...I hate using this one..." Moonstone mumbled. "Name your price and we'll pay it!" She shouted.

Black Pearl's eyes widened. She threw her spear into the sand again and turned to Moonstone. "Go on."

"Name any price, and we'll pay it," Moonstone said.

"Three million Universal Currency, A ship of the newest and best model, I prefer Firefly class, by the way, _and_ a Royal Pardon..." Black Pearl replied.

"A Royal Pardon? What do you need that for?" Moonstone asked.

"What? Do you not think I'm wanted on a planet or two? Or...twenty-two...Hundred..." Black Pearl said.

"We'll give you all that if you help us, _and_ if we win," Moonstone said.

"Oh, with me on your side, you'll be sure to do more than just win." Black Pearl replied, shaking Moonstone's hand.

"Make yourself at home," Moonstone smiled.

"Hmm, well first off, you clearly have to go back to the market for some more lighting, then maybe sweep this place up. I mean, I remember when this temple was still standing, and gee, you guys really let this place go. Second of all, I demand your utmost respect at all times, so no more of this, open sexualization of my kind." Black Pearl said loudly. On the last sentence, she smeared Gaspeite's sand drawing with her foot.

"Can we call ya Blackie It's shorter and catchier." Gaspeite asked.

"Call me what you want, I don't give a Rathtar's tentacle. However, on most planets I'm called Jet...people take me a lot more seriously that way. No one cowers at the name of a Pearl...well, at least, not until one runs ya through." Black Pearl flashed a devilish smile. "You're being awfully quiet over there, Mohawk."

"Yeah, yeah I know. I'm Rho, short for Rhodonite." Rhodonite introduced herself quickly and quietly.

Black Pearl shrugged. "Now, what exactly is the plan here?" She asked.

Gaspeite shrugged, Moonstone began to drone, "Uuuuum", and all that was left was for Rhodonite to speak.

"Well, we're sick and tired of the Diamonds oppressing everyone with their tyrannical oligarchy," Rhodonite said.

Black Pearl cocked an eyebrow.

"I mean, they've done ingemane experiments for years, have destroyed life on hundreds of planets, have snuffed out the potential of Gems like you, and they're even planning to blow up Earth with a massive geoweapon!" Rhodonite explained.

"They didn't snuff out my potential, mind you. No, they were so disgusted by even the thought of me that they discarded me to the depths of space for dead." Black Pearl growled. "I agree with you there, but do you have any idea on how to carry this out? I mean, I love a coup as much as the next guy, but you gotta have a plan or you have no chance."

"I think...that's why we needed your help," Moonstone said.

"You bought me for that? You're more stupid than I thought! You don't hire a Pearl to give you battle tactics, Quartzes are for that!" Black Pearl chuckled.

"Are you saying you can't do it?" It was Rhodonite's turn to cock an eyebrow.

Black Pearl's eyes widened. "Of course, I can! In fact, that is an understatement! You're obviously not going to take down the most indestructible Gems to ever live with just you three, I suggest we get support."

"From whom?" Moonstone asked.

"I think I know a Gem," Gaspeite said suddenly.

"We're listening," Rhodonite replied.

"Her name's Carnelian. She's a big, strong Quartz, and she leads the best Gem war party Homeworld has seen since the Gem War. Her allegiance is to Yellow Diamond, but I think we can get her to change her mind." Gaspeite explained.

"What's so great about her? I mean, people are willing to say anyone's the best, even if they really aren't." Black Pearl said.

"Oh, she's great all right. Only a team of the fastest and strongest gems and fusions in the army, the best sharpshooters, including her co-leader, Fire Opal, who was an apprentice to Howlite!" Gaspeite began to gush. Rhodonite felt a sharp pain in her chest just from hearing the name, Howlite. "She is responsible for conquering several planets, and they also have access to the latest weapons from Yellow Diamond. Oh! And she keeps control really well because she has the power to hypnotize!" Gaspeite continued.

"Hypnotize? Great..." Black Pearl said sarcastically.

"We can convince her to join our side, then she can convince her war party to fight for us too!" Gaspeite added excitedly.

"I will not stand to have people die for a cause they don't believe in. We'll convince the entire party with our just cause, not with Gem magic." Rhodonite said, and Moonstone and Gaspeite listened and nodded. Black Pearl turned to Rhodonite.

"That was a great plan, there's nothing wrong with playing dirty. Besides, it's not like anyone will know." Black Pearl replied.

"I want this war to be as clean as Rose Quartz's was, and that's final. I'm the leader here, not you." Rhodonite snapped.

"Ugh, Rose Quartz...Who gives a damn about her? Back then things were a lot more...innocent. Nowadays, we fight with fire, and bombs, we annihilate everything until there's no trace of the past. That's how war works, and you wanted to start one. Now you get it." Black Pearl slammed her fist into her palm.

Rhodonite growled. "It was like that then too! Were you even there for the destruction on Earth? The dented land, the sky stained with ash? Shards littering the grass like thorny vines?"

"No, I can only imagine. You're fairly new, though, so you must've just heard stories." Black Pearl replied. Rhodonite was growing more and more hatred for this strange new person, who dismissed all her past experiences null and void and wished to fight a dirty war.

"I was there! Or at least...my Gems were!" Rhodonite protested.

"No need to get huffy, I'll just go ahead and believe you, but if I were you, being childish like that will never get the respect of this Carnelian." Black Pearl said, smirking and snickering at Rhodonite.

"So...what was your experience with the Gallifreyans?" Moonstone asked to change the subject.

"Whoa, slow down there, sister. I'm here to work with you, not be all buddy-buddy with you. You suckered in Gaspeite, but not me." Black Pearl walked off, disappearing down a hallway in the temple. "And by the way, I suggest you make living quarters down here, but not until after you've cleaned it!" She shouted.

Rhodonite turned to Moonstone. "On second thought, you can leave this gift to Gaspeite."

"Oh come on! Just give her time." Moonstone said. "Besides, we're all a little bit shaken up since this whole thing started, so perhaps before we do anything hasty, we could maybe settle down, write a nice letter for Carnelian and see how this plays out."

"I don't mind talking to her...she sounds awesome, and looks hotter than a Tatooinian desert," Gaspeite added in a lovesick trance.

"Sure, why not, go find her. I'm sure she'll be thrilled." Rhodonite said sarcastically, pushing Gaspeite in the direction of the hallway. Gaspeite decided to listen despite her tone and walk down the hallway.

"She has to have some experience with the Diamonds, especially for her to be like that. Maybe I'm too much of a meddler, but I'm going to confront this Pearl myself. You don't have to worry, Rho." Moonstone said.

"Alright, but I oughta' do something too," Rhodonite said.

* * *

 **And a little flashback...something that's been rolling around in Black Pearl's memory.**

* * *

CRASH! BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!

A petite, yet muscular silhouette swung through the window, breaking the glass. She landed in a crouching position and looked back, whipping the wayward black bang that escaped her slick bun. She waved away her auto-piloted spaceship and began to sprint through the room, which was littered with conference tables, the alarm blaring in her ears. She made the calculation that guards would be in the room in seconds, but she knew she could take them. Her senses were heightened, reflexes sharpened, and she was just on edge.

The silhouette looked to the corner of the ceiling to see a security camera, it's lenses glinting although it was nighttime. She summoned a spear from her Gem and threw it at the camera, running the blade through. She pulled out a communication device.

"This is Jet, I'm in Uriku's place, the guards are expected to be here in approximately 15 seconds." The silhouette spoke, her voice quiet and low. She was surprised that her message went through due to the alarms.

"Fight them off, and his bedroom is located one flight of stairs from where you were supposed to enter. I'm counting on you, you either bring me his heart or you die trying." The communication device responded with hints of static, it was her boss for this mission. The reward was 100,000 Universal Currency and enough fuel to fill her ship's entire tank...besides, she didn't mind a little fun.

"You got it." Jet turned off the communication device as three muscular guards burst into the conference room, wielding large spears, larger than Jet's.

Jet was a rugged looking woman, the kind you'd expect to kill for money, however, she did pride herself on what little class she had compared to other criminals. A rebel, more like defect of the Great Diamond Authority, she had the kind of skill, precision, and overall refinery that was expected of Gems, especially in her agile fighting style. The assassin sported a black leotard sort of outfit, with leggings to match. She wore armor in some places, made of fourth dimension Elysium which was a sleek, blackish-grey metal that definitely did its job well as armor. Jet summoned her spear from the Gem on her chest and charged the first guard, and her small size compared to it helped her. The guard swung his spear horizontally, but Jet ducked, punched the spear out of his hands and ran him through with her own spear.

Next guard, she was able to kick unconscious quickly since she was caught off-guard, and the third one she had a showdown with him in a clash of spears. Let's just say, she had taken down the first wave of defenses, and she was feeling confident. Jet twirled her spear and strolled out, stepping over each corpse as if they were just pillows on the floor...pillows that oozed blood with every step.

Jet nimbly ran out into the hallway, which was calm, but still dangerous, like a sleeping volcano. According to her research on the place, the building was connected to Uriku's lifeforce. When awake, the lights of the building would turn on and the computers would work, but at night, it was absolutely still and dark. However, there were soft, turquoise strips of light on the walls that faded in and out kept track of Uriku's breathing and sleep patterns. Blue meant asleep and calm, red-orange meant awake and alert. Different shades of purple meant a mix of the two. Jet saw the blue lights as perfect timing for her kill. She began to dart up the spiral staircase of glass just down the hall from the conference room, which led to Uriku's bedroom.

Jet was surprised the alarms shut off and no more guards came, but she soon realized that Uriku, the building's lifeforce, probably turned off the alarms to continue his slumber. The further she ascended, a large window surrounded the staircase, showing a beautiful view of the city outside and its gleaming lights, whizzing spaceships...so full of life. Jet almost felt bad that she had to kill the poor man, but oh well, that was life. Besides, Uriku was a millionaire as well as a philanthropist, he would surely be glad that he gave up his life and maybe some of his cash to Black Pearl's cause of staying alive in a cutthroat world.

Jet reached the top of the stairs and drew her spear silently, stretched her arms a bit more, just in case she had to fight Uriku, and creaked the bedroom door open. Her heart pounded in her ears, blood rushing to her cheeks, sweat pouring down her face even though she had done this a million times. A rush of guilt ran through Jet like a gust of wind, but she soothed her mind with the thought mantra "It's for your own good." A phrase she had once heard from a being with two white hands cupping her face before getting poisoned and thrown into a ship due to explode. The thought gave her even more chills, she then tried to focus on the task at hand.

She let out a silent whisper. "Ngah!" She shook her head to get focused on the gentle lump underneath white sheets in the room in front of her.

The room was spacious, yet Uriku never filled it up with much furniture. The back wall, behind the king size bed middle of the room, was a window that also contained the city silhouette inside. Jet couldn't imagine what dressing was like for the man before noticing a walk in closet off to the side by the door. Jet propped the door open with a doorstop she kept on hand and tiptoed into the bedroom, approaching the bed slowly...so close that she could see every fold and wrinkle in the white covers which contrasted with the black bed frame. Jet raised her spear up slowly, ready to strike, she looked back to see that there were no security cameras in sight, then began to bring the spearpoint down right over the lump's vital area.

SHING! Lights turned on suddenly and illuminated the entire building. The turquoise light strips turned to a fiery red, which certainly didn't mean anything good to Jet. Much to Jet's surprise, Uriku's covers flew off to reveal him parrying her attack with a sword while in his purple pajamas. Uriku looked masculine and muscular, his unbuttoned pajama shirt revealing a jungle of chestnut chest hair that contrasted his pale skin. There was a smug grin hidden underneath his mustache-beard-sideburns combo of the same color, and his determined green eyes glinted in the city lights, along with his broadsword. Jet staggered back at the sudden attack and knew that if he didn't die right now, then she would be caught, imprisoned...and she just couldn't do that.

Jet did a quick lift as she slid to the side and ran Uriku through from the side, killing him. The lights shut off completely with a dying whir and a flick. Jet took up Uriku's corpse in her arms and called for her ship to stop by the window. In a matter of seconds, the large, rather junky-looking, Firefly class ship stopped by the bedroom window, its doors waiting open invitingly. Jet quickly cut an exit for her in the window with her spear and jumped into the ship. The ship then blasted off and away from the planet immediately.

"This is Jet, I have assassinated Uriku like you asked. I will be disposing of the corpse after checking for extra spoils. I have set a course for Tatooine to receive the bounty." Jet spoke into her communication device.

"Atta girl. Now don't get sidetracked in Mos Eisley before you reach me, alright? Take care." The communication device responded before hanging up.

Jet threw the body on the floor and leaned against the wall, sighing exasperatedly.

"It's for my own good." She repeated her mantra.

* * *

 **Poor girl doesn't even realize you can't even go to Gallifrey anymore...**

 **Meet Black Pearl...Pirate, Mass Assassin, Thief, Diamond Stamp of Disapproval Defect, Victim of Sexual Assault, A heart frozen by a "kill or be killed" world...among other things.**

 **And according to Gaspeite, a real dynamite gal.**

 **Gaspeite is a common thief, a scavenger, but Black Pearl is a criminal on so many levels...yet, Moonstone let her in anyway. At this rate, the Diamonds must think that they're picking up random people off the street.**

 **Sorry for this being so short and rather bad in my opinion...I feel like it's been the attack of the blocks lately. Maybe I'll get some more inspiration on Spring Break...or maybe I'm seeing Spring Break as more of a cure-all rather than a vacation to my grandparents' place. I don't know, I guess only time will tell.**

 **I was rather worried when I wasn't receiving reviews on my latest chapters..what happened? Idk, but reviews are certainly encouraged on this.**

 **What does everyone think of Black Pearl?**


	40. Your Best Nightmare

"Hey, babe, can I ask you something?" A male voice pierced the quiet of Black Pearl's dreamscape.

She immediately recognized it as Ash, the first person she ever killed. It was him who plunged her into a homicidal addiction driven by anxiety. Her dream soon turned to a memory, an episode, and it was from her point of view, as always.

There they were, standing in a hut on some distant jungle planet Black Pearl forgot the name of. Ash was a human she had met on the first planet she landed on after White Diamond threw her out for dead, he said he respected her, he listened to her story and promised to never hurt her...and she believed him despite the rumors of him being a notorious slave dealer. He was your typical human, short, smooth brown hair, a muscular, extremely fit body...Black Pearl had never met someone who identified as male before...but she found his assertive nature almost...attractive.

"Yes?" Black Pearl asked. She looked down to see that she was wearing a woven green dress and an apron...an indicator of the happy, domestic life that she and Ash were living. It was warm and humid, no air conditioning in their primitive home...birds were chirping outside and there was the light noise of leaves blowing in the summer breeze.

"I would like to consider...moving. I say we could take my ship and get out of here, what do you think? We can see the galaxy together." Ash flashed a smile.

"What? That's rather irrational...I thought you liked it here! I like it here!" Black Pearl argued. Now that she thought about it, this whole ordeal started out rather stupidly.

Ash chuckled, which soon turned to a cackle. "I didn't say you had a choice."

Black Pearl's eyes widened.

"I never liked it here, in fact, I never liked you...I just like the way you look, you know? I like your naivety, it makes my job so much easier..." Ash cackled again. "You're so _desperate_ for happiness, for love, for acceptance...apparently you don't know how this world works...No wonder that Diamond was able to rape and almost kill you so easily..."

"No...You must not be thinking straight..." Black Pearl said breathlessly.

"Oh no, I'm thinking more straight than I ever was...Come now," Ash pulled and jingled a pair of silver handcuffs. "We have a ship to catch."

"They were right..." Black Pearl whispered. "No, you can't make me, I won't let you hurt me like my Diamond did. I never liked you either, I just needed you to survive." She said defiantly.

Ash laughed. "How childish! You were infatuated with me, admit it, which is exactly why you'll come with me. Don't make this harder than I want, now come here." He said the last command through gritted teeth.

Black Pearl placed her hand on her Gem and wielded her ebony spear, just to look threatening. "Stop this now, I'm warning you."

"It wants to fight back, how cute!" Ash pulled a gun from his belt and pointed it in the direction of Black Pearl's head. "Come with me or die, Pearl."

"How did it ever get to this? Whatever happened to the guy I met three years ago?" Black Pearl's voice was trembling, breaking.

"All fake! All a hoax, oh what a plot twist! Enough...You're a Pearl, now do my bidding like one." Ash answered harshly, stepping closer so that the gun's barrel was closer to her forehead.

Black Pearl gripped the handle of her spear tightly and lifted it slightly. "Don't make me kill you..."

"Kill me? Wow, you're a hilarious Gem, making me laugh like this..." His smile quickly turned to a death glare. "Make one more move and I'll shoot you." He said through gritted teeth.

Black Pearl took a second to think, her body trembling and mind spinning. It wasn't until after she realized that the gun was not pointed at her Gem, that she closed her eyes and ran her spear through Ash. She felt blood splatter onto her clothes and the cold metal burn of a bullet hitting her skull. The gunshot and yelp of Ash rung in her ears, and she opened her eyes when she heard his body hit the floor. It was strange that she hadn't poofed from the gunshot, but it seemed that there was some force within her, keeping her from poofing.

She had done it.

Black Pearl would have never dreamed of killing someone, and certainly not him. She wanted to cry, it was a nightmare, her whole life seemed like one big nightmare. Now, not only had she murdered someone, but she murdered someone she loved.

It was then that she felt the first wave of guilt, the first feeling of homicide. It was a chill, yet it made her sweat. She knew then, that she had to hide, she had to run away...live on the lam for the rest of her life. Black Pearl turned only to face a decorative mirror on the wall, seeing her bloodstained self for the first time.

"I'm no better than the Diamonds..." Black Pearl sighed before running out of the hut, not even taking the time to grab belongings.

The village was bustling, full of aliens that looked like humanoid arachnids. There was always a large bonfire burning in the center of town, where people would come to pray to their pagan gods. One woman stopped in front of Black Pearl and pointed out her stains.

"My, my, what happened?" She asked in her native language that Black Pearl learned from emersion.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Cooking incident." Black Pearl said, although her facial expression and body language said otherwise. She continued running, her back facing the hut and the woman. Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed through the village.

"Murder! The human is dead!" The spider woman screamed.

On top of the guilt, anxiety rushed through Black Pearl, making her want to throw up. She held it in but knew that it would be hard to not get caught if she had witnesses. She had to think fast, and the only way to make someone keep a secret was to...kill them. Black Pearl turned to the roaring bonfire and an idea was born. She ran to the fire and pulled a stick from it, the large flame dancing on the tip. Since the huts were made of animal skins, dirt, woods, and foliage, she figured they would burn easily. She ran through the village, lighting every building on fire with on hand and running through anyone she saw with the other hand, which held her spear. By the time it was over, the once peaceful village was a burning wasteland.

Black Pearl panted with adrenaline as she ran out of the village, tears streaming down her face. She stopped and leaned against a thick tree trunk a mile away from the village. She blinked, and the light of day burned away the memory like camera film...

* * *

She woke up panting, her heart beating, pounding rapidly in her chest.

"Whoa, nightmare?" She was surprised to see Moonstone waiting with a tray of fresh tea.

"No! You just surprised me..." Black Pearl replied defensively. Last night, she decided to look deep in the temple for sleeping quarters so that she may get privacy, but she guessed now that was out of the question with this bunch. The room she was in looked from the stone age, with stone walls that had paintings of different animals on it. She was sleeping on a slab of the same material that stuck out from the wall, almost as though this room was actually meant to be a sleeping quarter.

Moonstone sat on the edge of the slab and set the tray next to Black Pearl's legs. "Oh, I believe you...Tea? I bought it this morning."

"Fine." Black Pearl picked up the small cup and pressed the warm liquid to her lips. "You don't have to cater to my needs, you know, I can take care of myself."

"I know, but I think it's a lot nicer to get to know people. People fight better when they fight for people they love, it's a fact. Besides, you're very interesting." Moonstone said, drinking her own cup of tea.

"Well, tell me about the nutjobs you're working with, then. Give me a little tour." Black Pearl said.

"Fine, but only if you tell me a little about yourself," Moonstone smiled.

Black Pearl shrugged and nodded.

"I guess you could say the leader is Rhodonite, a sentient Cluster. If you're not sure what that is, it's basically a Gem composed of the shards of fallen ones. She...has some issues...and she has these flashbacks of her original Gems...back in the first war for Earth." Moonstone began.

"Well, explains why she's so obsessed with Rose Quartz. Just between you and me, how do you feel about her?" Black Pearl asked.

Moonstone's pale face flushed pink. "I think...she has a few kinks, but everyone does...and she's...wonderful. I think she's wonderful. I can't explain my attraction to her, but I feel like we have to get through this first...or at least, I think that's how she feels. Rho is all business, and I know she's afraid to let me in. Makes sense, the last time she loved someone, it seemed like it was all reset, like some sort of video game after the player loses. I wish I can show her that we could get through everything together if we do it...together. You know?"

Black Pearl just sat and blinked. "Give her time."

"Time heals everything, right?" Moonstone smiled.

"Not always, time doesn't heal you when you're drowning...it just makes you die." Black Pearl's monotone turned into a gritted teeth growl.

"Anyway, the little green Gem, Gaspeite..."

"Yeah, I beat her up last night. Caught her spying on me, that little pervert."

"I don't know too much, but she is a defective Peridot who was kicked out of the Diamond facilities, left to scavenge and steal...she's a thief. She used to have powers of animation, but her Gem is cracked."

"Stealing is the best way to go, in my opinion."

Moonstone shot Black Pearl a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

"She ain't the only one who has been cast out by those damn Diamonds, and she's not the only one forced into crime, either." Black Pearl said. "What about you, light goddess?"

"L-light goddess?"

"Yeah, I can read those runes out there. All points to you, darling."

"Well, I wouldn't say that...I'm too dirty to be a goddess who saves the world."

"Dirty? How many have you taken?" Black Pearl leaned in, her smile was that of a homicidal maniac.

"T-taken? Hundreds, thousands...millions...entire planets." Moonstone sighed.

"Would it surprise you that I've done the same?" Black Pearl said, flipping her arm over to reveal tattooed tally marks running up her wrist and up the underbelly of her arm. "A mark for every murder, there more under my clothes and the other arm."

Moonstone was speechless. "What...?"

"Yeah, told you stealing was the best way to go."

"Wow...you're..."

"A psycho? Yeah, figured. Just your neighborhood psychopath." Black Pearl chuckled. "It's funny, like a mouse drinking tea with a snake."

"You're not planning to...kill us, are you?" Moonstone asked quietly.

"Hope not." Black Pearl said as she stretched. "I think you know enough about me, so I'm going to see how the others are doing." She got up out of bed and left Moonstone to sit in gawking silence.

* * *

Black Pearl walked out into the center room casually, slightly grinning at Moonstone's response. Even from another killer, she was still feared...typical. Rhodonite was sitting against the doorway, napping, and Gaspeite was doodling in the sand on the floor. The sun was peeking in, like always...Black Pearl wasn't sure how long she slept, she was too consumed with her dream.

Gaspeite looked up from her doodle. "Blackie! You're awake!"

Moonstone ran out of the hallway and caught up with her. "Don't do anything! I mean, not without my help." She panted.

"I'm not planning to do anything, or at least, anything important. Mohawk!" Black Pearl called to Rhodonite.

Rhodonite sat up, startled. "What? Yeah?"

"We're going out for drinks, just you and me." Black Pearl said.

"What? You can't do that!" Moonstone shouted.

"I can, and I will. Come on, I know a great place." Black Pearl replied as she stopped in the doorway to help Rhodonite up. Rho was confused by the whole thing but didn't mind going out for drinks.

"Is this a know your enemy type deal?" Rhodonite asked as she got up and began walking alongside Black Pearl and Moonstone to the speeder.

"No." Black Pearl stopped. "This is a know your friend type deal."

Moonstone's eyes widened in surprise. "Alright, you can go." Moonstone leaned in to whisper to Rhodonite. "But be careful, she's dangerous."

"I'll take my chances," Rhodonite replied as she got on the back of the speeder behind Black Pearl. Black Pearl gave a light smile and saluted Moonstone before driving away, exhaust and wind blowing Moonstone's hair back.

"So, where are you taking me out? Is it fancy?" Rhodonite asked, having to speak up over the whirring of the speeder. Black Pearl was one to drive fast, so Rhodonite was clinging to Blackie's waist for safety.

"Oh, it's a great place, but it ain't exactly the Ritz. Surely not like any of those Diamond parties you went to before they experimented on you, right?" Black Pearl replied.

"Wait, how do you know about those?" Rhodonite asked.

"Just assumed, according to what I already know. It's called inference, look it up." Black Pearl said.

"Wait, so what, have you been stalking me?" Rhodonite was still asking questions.

"I wanted to know about you and the little team you have here, and I want another angle...I'm a big picture person, Rho, and I need every piece to make the puzzle...every pixel to make the photo, every nut and bolt to fix the machine." Black Pearl explained.

Rhodonite nodded. She then noticed that she recognized the route in which they were driving. It was the same route to Bar Gurama, and for some reason, she hated that place. However, she didn't want to turn her hostess off of her.

Rhodonite was right.

The neon sign, glittering lights, and pink painted building were all too familiar for Rhodonite, although she had only gone there once. The "Fusions Welcome" sign seemed to be running out of power, seeing as it flickered often, almost like it was dying out.

"We're here! Ah, it's got that good old speeder oil smell, just like every good bar should have." Black Pearl said nostalgically, taking a deep breath as she jumped off the speeder and strolled in casually. Rhodonite followed.

The Fluorite who served Rhodonite and Moonstone the last time seemed very familiar with Black Pearl when she walked in. Of course, Blackie acted completely different around the bartenders and patrons. She walked in with the same flamboyance and confidence as Bismuth, flailing her arms and saying,

"I'm back, boys!"

Although most of the patrons identified as female.

The Fluorite approached her with an almost forced comradery. "Jet! So lovely to see you!" She flashed a nervous smile. "W-What are you doing here? I thought you had business in Gallifrey, and besides, why would you ever come back to Homeworld? I mean, I've heard stories and if the Diamonds ever caught you they'd get so much reward they wouldn't know what to do and-" Fluorite stuttered, rubbing her hands together anxiously.

"I have a new business, and boy, it'll be my greatest kill yet. I'm going for big game this time," Black Pearl replied, smiling devilishly.

"Big game? You don't mean-"

"Yep, I already have a spot for their shards to dangle on strings above my ship's dashboard...if I ever find her again." Black Pearl said.

"You mean your old Firefly? Man, you could definitely get something better with the money you get for your jobs." Fluorite said.

"Nah, nothing can beat my ship, Bug. Bug's my girl, I can't abandon her for some Diamond creation that will keep updating itself so that it gets buggy and I have to get a new one in a year. Know what I'm sayin'?"

"Yeah, I feel you. So, what are you doing today as far as dining?" Fluorite asked.

"Table for two please, for me and my new pal, Rho." Black Pearl replied. Rhodonite peeked at Fluorite behind Blackie's shoulder and lightly waved.

"Rhodonite! I had a feeling you'd come back, just not...with _her_." Fluorite said.

"Yeah, apparently this is a good place to refuel," Rhodonite smiled.

Fluorite grinned back before leaning in. "Be careful with this one, she's dangerous." She whispered.

"I'll be fine," Rhodonite said as she followed Black Pearl to a table adjacent to the bar. They sat in chairs so that they would face each other, and it felt like all the other patrons were staring at them, anticipating what would happen.

"Tell me about yourself, Rho." Black Pearl said casually, leaning back in her seat.

"Well, I was made on Earth...from the shards of fallen Gems and-" Rhodonite began before getting interrupted.

"That's the second time I've heard that. Do you have proof? Or are you just a schizophrenic of some sort?" Black Pearl asked.

"A what of some sort? Never mind that, it's true, just look at my Gem." Rhodonite gestured to her neck. Black Pearl leaned in and felt the grooves that separated each shard. Her eyes then wandered to the golden necklace with the two wedding rings on the end of it. She lifted the chain with her finger and studied it.

"What's this?" Black Pearl asked.

"Oh, just a relic from Earth...brings back memories," Rhodonite said with a light smile.

"I can imagine someone like you to be nostalgic, or as I like to call it, obsessed with the past. Moonstone told me you have flashbacks, I have them too, except not of love and loss...just loss." Black Pearl said.

"Wait, Moonstone told you about me?" Rhodonite asked.

"Yeah, she told me all about you and your little gang, now I want to know your opinion." Black Pearl replied.

"I don't have a lot to say, except that Moonstone has been with me since the beginning, she's a powerful asset and a great friend. Gaspeite just joined us, and I have yet to decide whether or not she is trustworthy."

"You bribed her, and she has ties to the Diamonds. Gaspeite seems to care about money rather than other people, I wouldn't trust her."

"But aren't you fighting because of the money too?" Rhodonite asked, tilting her head questioningly.

"Oh, that's not the only reason." Black Pearl leaned back in her chair.

"What else could it be? You were all excited to go to Gallifrey until we promised you that reward..." Rhodonite said.

Black Pearl leaned forward, her eyes staring deep into Rhodonite's. "It's never _just_ the money that makes me fight."

"Then what is it?" Rhodonite asked.

"Here's the thing, I've been killing my whole life. My entire existence has been a circle of grudges and unsettled scores. I've had people coming after me from all over the universe, trying to get closure from killed wives, husbands, siblings, mothers, fathers, entire families and villages. I'm not just some bounty hunter, I kill to live, I go insane to stay sane, sure, it was for the money in the beginning, but it evolved into so much more than that. One bar fight with me and I'll have your entire family hung from a power line the next week. An overpowering fraction of my blood is bad, and if you piss me off then you're bound to have a spear through your heart. That's just how I roll." Black Pearl replied.

"What's your deal with the Diamonds?" Rhodonite asked.

"You really want to know?" Black Pearl answered with a question.

"Yes," Rhodonite said.

"It's all their fault. They abandoned me, threw me out into space for dead, they saw me as imperfect and tried to kill me. All of my friends turned on me, my confidants spilled all my secrets, my feelings...that's what I get for being nice. That's what I get for being naive, allegiant, obedient, conforming. I let those Diamonds and their system control me like a puppet, built me up until I became real, a real person with feelings, and then they saw it as wrong and I almost died for it. Sure, living like this is better than slavery, but did they ever think I wanted a, you know, happier life? A domestic life? With someone I loved, for real, instead being treated like a servant or fuse toy all my life?" A sparkle of recollection flashed in her eyes, but she quickly wiped it away with a blink. "After what happened, and a few other incidents, I couldn't feel the same. Everywhere I went, every friend I made, I felt the urge to kill, because if they're dead, they can't hurt me right?" Black Pearl took a long, hard sniffle. Her voice was shaky. "No one could be trusted, so it was either I kill them or I kill myself and believe me, I tried to die. I anonymously paid hitmen to kill me, but I killed them back because I couldn't bring myself to do it."

Rhodonite was stunned. "So...?"

"So, I want them dead! Shattered! I want them to be the last people I ever kill, the last people I ever hurt, and then _I'm_ going to die...peacefully...and if not, well, I still want their shards dangling over the dashboard of my ship. I want them to clink together with every jostle my vessel makes, oh they'll ring like wind chimes, no, more like bells of justice, bells of freedom, because for once the tables will have turned and I'll remember the day the oppressed won." Blackie's tone turned from shaky to forceful as she leaned closer to Rhodonite. Rhodonite was surprised no one noticed the scene in the bar, but she assumed that stuff like this happened all the time.

"Um...Blackie? Yeah..about that..." Rhodonite stuttered quietly.

Black Pearl cocked an eyebrow.

"I wasn't going to kill them!" Rhodonite pushed out a shout.

"You what?" Black Pearl said back, her tone a choking growl. "What were you going to do?"

"I was going to bubble them...and keep them in a hidden room that was heavily guarded..?" Rhodonite replied timidly.

"No...NO! I want them dead! I don't want them to come back, I don't want them to hurt anyone anymore! I don't...want to hurt anyone anymore." Black Pearl sounded passionate in her plea, which left Rhodonite torn.

"I'm not sure what to say..." Rhodonite said quietly.

"Look, if I wasn't passionate about this cause, you'd be dead where you stand! Don't test me, I'm the leader in this deal!" Black Pearl hissed.

"Black Pearl...You said you didn't want to hurt anyone." Rhodonite said gently.

"I don't! I just want to hurt them! If you keep being nice, they'll hurt you too!" She shouted. "Murderers, bigots, thieves, worse than I could ever do. It's rulers like that that deserve to burn in hell...Don't you agree? You wish to fight a war only to go pacifist on the cause of it all? That's idiotic!"

"I..." Rhodonite stuttered.

"No!" Black Pearl slammed her fist on the table. "How dare you snatch everyone's peace from them like this! I...was going to be happy...and Moonstone, I know she's been through so much...don't you care about her enough to put her out of her misery? I thought...you'd want a domestic life with her..." Her voice calmed. "I know she wants one with you..."

"W-What? I do care about her, but the Diamonds are millions of years old, they're artifacts in themselves...besides, I'm not sure if I can even shatter them..." Rhodonite said.

"Who gives a damn about artifacts? Let me tell you something...I doubt you have hidden your tears so well that you never cry...your eyes remain dead even when your heart is breaking on the inside. Let me tell you that I've lived without closure for years, even facing death without getting some sort of emotion. A secret of mine, I always cry at happiness. When this ends, I want to feel something. I want to feel satisfaction and maybe...maybe even a little bit of compassion, because believe me, it's been long overdue. Rho, listen to me, you wanted war, and in war, things get destroyed. Artifacts, cultures, entire religions...and it never matters. That temple you're staying in? The Diamonds destroyed it, they buried all relics of ancient Gem culture. Those runes on the walls, they're about them, Rhodonite...don't you feel something when you read them?" By now, Blackie was standing up.

"I..." Rhodonite managed to stutter.

"Or do you just want to destroy the planet and leave it to suffer alone...like you are _supposed_ to do?" Black Pearl's voice seemed to get louder and louder, her words stronger and stronger. Rhodonite looked over to see Fluorite, who was ducked behind the bar counter.

"That's enough! Look, I'm not sure what will happen, or if the Diamonds will even bow to our knees, but for the time being, we have to push that aside...so then no one gets hurt." Rhodonite said, trying to stay calm.

Black Pearl seemed to stop everything. She stood silently, occasionally twitching impatiently. Her breathing was still heavy, but it slowed just a touch. "I-I guess you're right...I'm getting ahead of myself."

Rhodonite was still speechless, so she just stared at her.

"I'm sorry about that, you shouldn't have seen it." Black Pearl said, turning her head away from Rhodonite. She walked away from the table and out the door.

"But you didn't even buy anything!" Fluorite shouted, following Black Pearl.

Blackie turned abruptly to Fluorite, a glare on her face. "I wasn't thirsty." She continued to walk out.

Rhodonite ran out after Blackie. "I'll drive if you want." She offered.

"You'll be doing that anyway, I'm taking the train back to base." Black Pearl replied.

"But...won't you get caught?" Rhodonite asked.

"Would anyone ever be stupid enough to turn me in?" Black Pearl said before leaving Rhodonite to head for the subway station. Rhodonite combated her anxiety for her and drove home, Black Pearl's words spinning in her mind.

* * *

 **Oh my gosh, this took forever, sorry for the wait, ya'll.**

 **Now that my Spring Break is coming to a close, I hopefully will get back on track. Heh, funny I said the same thing about the Break beforehand. I swear, I was either busy or distracted during my vacation, and at first, I thought that the break didn't do the things I wanted it to. It didn't vanquish my anxiety or give me time to write, but I guess I found what I wanted when I wasn't looking...which is happy memories to overpower the old, horrible ones. My brain's subliminal messages seem to all point to me being ready for a new, hopefully happier phase in my life.**

 **Urgh, I'm boring you all with stuff about me.**

 **Being a murderer has its perks, in Blackie's opinion, but most of the time, Black Pearl just wants to be free and peaceful.**

 **What did everyone think of this chapter?**


	41. Letters & Lies

Black Pearl surprisingly slept well despite the thoughts moving through her head like codes in a computer, zipping and zooming at the speed of light. She bounced back and forth between a conversation she had heard on the train to the base and one from her distant past.

"Blue Diamond is dead? How long ago was this?" A Pearl asked another, looking surprised.

"Just a few days ago, by an assassin called Moonstone!" The other Pearl said.

"An assassin? You don't think she's working for the deviants who wrote that letter, do you?" The first Pearl seemed afraid.

"Probably...I think we'll have another Gem War soon...and now that the rebels know how to kill the Diamonds, Homeworld will erupt in chaos!"

"We can't leave anyway...we must remain allegiant to our Diamonds!" The first Pearl said, standing up straight and putting her right hand on her chest with pride.

"I guess...we'll just have to get shattered too. Do you ever wish we could just do what we want, like other Gems?" The second Pearl asked, blushing and keeping her head low.

"Nah, it's all in your head." The first Pearl said.

It's all in your head...that's what they all say. Why? Why does one choose to immediately invalidate someone's feelings like that? Does it come from a society of lies? Does it come from the fear of giving someone your dedication and pity only for it to be a lie? Only for their suffering to all be in _your_ head? Black Pearl wasn't sure, but soon learned the sting of that phrase when she confessed her feelings to another Pearl back when she was training with White Diamond. They were speaking in ancient Gem language, a language few Pearls are proficient in today.

"You're...this isn't what you've been taught. How can you go against what you've been trained to think so easily? I can't do that...so how can you? Is it your color? Are Black Pearls smarter than White ones?" One of Blackie's old training friends, a white Pearl, asked late at night.

"I don't know... I just can't ignore...I can't ignore seeing you get hurt like today. That scar on your back will probably last forever...and your scream...how could I ignore that?" Black Pearl responded. They were both still young, only 1,000 years old.

"I can't ignore yours either...or your tears...but don't we have to? We can't fight back, Blackie." The White Pearl said.

"I wish we could. I remember life before the Diamonds...it was so much happier...we could do anything we wanted to." Black Pearl said with nostalgia.

"You can remember that? All I can remember is what we've been doing in training. I wish I was like you." White Pearl said.

"No, you don't. It haunts me, I can't stand it. Those Diamonds took us from our homes and stuffed us in here, and we're helpless to stop it. I wish..." Black Pearl paused to sniffle, her voice was breaking. "I wish I could do something. Is it wrong that I can feel pain, is it wrong that I don't live to help them?"

"Blackie, I..." White Pearl tried to console her.

"Of course!" A boisterous voice cut in. It was that of a Yellow Pearl who was easily brainwashed by the Diamonds' plans for Pearls. "Don't be ridiculous, Blackie! You're lucky they haven't proved you defective!"

Black Pearl watched her memories go by like a movie, and she hated seeing how weak her younger self was.

Young Blackie began to cry, tears streaming from her eyes. "I'm not defective..." She said quietly.

"Oh yeah? You're awfully discolored, for a Pearl, not to mention those crazy thoughts! You better shut up before they figure you out, which shouldn't be hard, it's all in your head!" Yellow Pearl sneered.

It's all in her head. She liked to think that during her days working for White Diamond. By day, she worked hard to prove that she was worth something, but by night, her memories of a happier Homeworld lingered. No...it had to all be in her head. That's all she had been told, even after the Diamonds betrayed her. How could it be in her head if she could feel it so real? Resonating within her like a restless animal in a cage?

Her sleep was the kind where one does not remember every moment in darkness but when it was time to wake, it happened naturally...as though she had caught up on all the sleep she needed. Black Pearl blinked her eyes open and rolled over, only to be face to face with Moonstone, who was waiting with more tea.

"So, you came in pretty late last night-" Moonstone began before getting interrupted.

"Gah!" Black Pearl exclaimed, sitting up abruptly.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" Moonstone asked.

"No! You just surprised me!" Black Pearl shouted defensively.

"Okay, okay. Do you want tea? I have a surplus since Rho doesn't really like it...turns out, she has a pretty strong gag reflex. Yesterday morning she barfed it all over Gaspeite!"

"Sure, I'll take some." Black Pearl grabbed one of the two teacups off of the metal tray and took a sip.

"As I was saying, you came in kind of late last night...did something happen?" Moonstone asked.

"No, absolutely not. I just decided to take a stroll through town." Black Pearl replied.

"I thought you hated it here?"

"Ugh." Black Pearl scoffed. "I do. You caught me, Rhodonite made me feel...upset...and I just needed a break."

"You're not thinking of quitting, are you?" Moonstone asked.

"No, of course not, and I know she was trying to help...instead, she managed to take all of my experiences, convince me that they are going to be validated, and then spat them back in my face because of artifacts!" Black Pearl's tone turned from calm to a low growl.

"She did? Artifacts? I'm confused."

"She doesn't realize that Pearls and Maw Sit Sit have been working on a secret record of every event and every subject coming straight from the knowledge of the Diamonds. I worked in it for years, but after my work was complete I proved to be defective, and then I think you know the story from there."

"I know of the record, I just haven't told Rho about it yet."

"I see." Black Pearl paused. "How do you know all about the Diamonds, anyway?"

Moonstone froze. _Quick, lie so she doesn't kill you._ She began laughing nervously. "I used to be a big deal, like an aristocrat...or something. Yeah! I always thought it was unfair, the treatment, but of course, we never get a say, do we? And then I met Rho and..."

"I see. That's surprising, since I heard some startling news on the commuter last night, that Blue Diamond is dead...killed..."

Moonstone's entire being skipped a few beats, knocking off her breathing and her train of thought. Her body was an orchestra, and Blackie's words were like one section speeding up the tempo, turning her once fine-tuned movements into a total train wreck.

"By you!" Black Pearl continued her sentence and pointed at Moonstone.

"I can explain..." Moonstone stuttered.

"Wonderful job!" Black Pearl reached over, wrapped her arm around Moonstone's neck and pulled her in close. "And now we know how to kill them! I had no idea how much of a wonderful asset we have, but now I realize!"

Moonstone squirmed in Blackie's arms. 'Uh..Um..Blackie...you're choking me!"

Blackie let go of Moonstone, who fell to the floor beside the bed. She coughed and wheezed before standing up. Black Pearl got up as well and changed out of the black sports bra and harem pants into an ebony spandex suit to cover her tattoos. The seemingly magical outfit change also put her hair up in a high ponytail similar to Gaspeite's.

"Oh, so you're planning on getting up? Great! We need your help, you see, we-"

"You know, Moonie? I'm actually growing quite fond of you." Black Pearl said.

"Thanks!" Moonstone smiled. "But-"

"Don't get too comfortable, that doesn't always mean a good thing. Now, what do you need me for?" Blackie had gone back to sounding gruff.

"Uh...we wrote a letter for Carnelian, and we figured you would want to edit it. If you worked on the record, then you must have exceptional writing skills. Besides, all Pearls and aristocratic Gems know how to write a good letter. I tried convincing Rho and Gaspeite to tweak it a little, but they said it was two against one and I need another follower." Moonstone explained.

"Those two are more stubborn than I thought," Blackie said.

"Well, it's early in the morning," Moonstone smiled.

"I'll be your deciding factor, but just so you know, I think a war through letters is pretty pathetic. If you really killed Blue Diamond, then we can sneak in and kill the other two, no problem." Black Pearl said, slamming her fist into her palm and smiling devilishly.

"It's a bit harder than that, you know just as well as I do how heavily guarded their palace is. It's pretty easy to maneuver out, but when Rho and I went after Blue Diamond, we bust through the window and made everyone aware of our arrival, unintentionally." Moonstone explained, walking beside Black Pearl out of the bedroom.

Black Pearl chuckled. "I've been responsible for several window bills in my time." Much to Moonstone's surprise, Blackie locked arms with Moonstone, as though she were her escort. After looking down at Moonstone, who was only a few inches shorter than her, she held her head high, looking down the hallway ahead. "Hmph." She exhaled sharply, flashing a wry grin of pride.

Moonstone could feel her face heating up. _Stop it!_ The voice in her head yelled at her.

They emerged out of the hallway and into the central room. Rhodonite and Gaspeite both perked up at their entrance. However, their hospitable smiles soon turned to realistic reactions. Rhodonite looked down, trying to hide her blush as Gaspeite giggled and repeatedly punched her on the shoulder.

Rhodonite cleared her throat. "So, you finally got her up, eh?"

"It's about time...this letter has been a nightmare from start to finish!" Gaspeite shouted, throwing her arms up into the air. "Too...many...words..." She sighed as though writing the letter knocked the wind out of her before falling backward onto the floor.

"So, where is this thing you want me to edit?" Black Pearl asked.

"It's right there." Rhodonite gestured to the piece of paper laying on the floor in front of her.

Black Pearl unlocked her arm from Moonstone's, much to Rhodonite's secret relief, and crouched down so she could read the letter. She scanned it, her face remaining stoic, as the other three Gems waited in anticipation, studying Blackie for any sort of movement...she had to react to something!

"Hmph. I don't know what you're talking about, Moonstone. This letter is just fine." Black Pearl said, still staring at it.

"Alright! Even Blackie's on our side!" Gaspeite shouted in triumph, high-fiving Rhodonite before realizing just who they were celebrating with and flinching as though it burned.

Black Pearl smirked at Rhodonite and Gaspeite's antics, then stood up. She folded up the paper and changed into a black suit of armor, with a weapons belt carrying three different types of guns, a Katana, a bag of ammunition, and six grenades. She quickly got rid of the weapon belt and stuffed the letter in her boot.

"You're going to deliver the letter?" Moonstone asked.

"Of course, and believe me, I'll make them read it if it's the last thing they do." Black Pearl said before walking out of the temple. A few seconds later, the three Gems could hear the only speeder they owned go off into the distance...

* * *

Deep in the armored boot of Black Pearl was a very special letter for a very special general...

 _Dear Carnelian & The Militia of Flames,_

 _You are likely aware of a new era shining through the dark tunnel of this timeline. A new era proposed by a mysterious group speaking in letters. You have likely heard our plight, so we'll just get right to the point._

 _We need your help._

 _It has been made known to us that you are the strongest team on Homeworld and throughout the galaxy. If you believe in our cause, please, step up and fight for us. If you choose to oppose us and use the coordinates of our base to attack us, then we will defend. We request that you bring a small party of your troops to our base to negotiate, there we will discuss further decisions._

 _(50° North, -120° West)_

 _\- MS R G BP Fire Opal,_

 _I hope you've been taking care of them for me, I always had a feeling you'd turn out well. Prove it._

 _-H_

When writing the letter, Rhodonite felt the need to tell Fire Opal the news of her mentor's corruption but knew that she couldn't convey such a message in a letter. She went under the alias of Howlite and wrote a small note based off of the words that stuck out the most to her when she told Sodalite the story of her augmentation. "Take care of them for me."

Rhodonite, Moonstone, and Gaspeite were eagerly waiting for the militia's response and knew that giving off coordinates was a death sentence. However, they had faith in Black Pearl, despite their knowledge of her algorithm for trust.

* * *

"Are you ready, Master Carnelian?" A tall, curvy, yet agile and nimble Gem with fiery, opalescent orange skin and hair asked, waving her hands methodically. A large fireball materialized in the space between her two waving palms. Her eyes were kind but hidden by the sheen of determination. Her bare toes curled on the concrete, wishing it was rich, massaging sand.

"I'm always ready." A beefy Gem of the same fiery skin and bushy salmon hair, Carnelian, replied. Her eyes were like the flame her partner was mustering. Neither Gems were wearing armor, the beefy Gem wore nothing but harem pants and a loose vest that was able to show off her abs, and the firebender wore an outfit of harem pants and a tight tank top.

"Don't go easy on me, Fire Opal. I need to become fireproof." Carnelian grunted, grinning a smile of pointed teeth.

"You know I won't." Fire Opal smirked before doing a flip in the air and kicking the fireball as though it were a soccer ball. She landed on her feet gracefully, her long, tight braid which resembled her previous master's whipping behind her.

The inferno hurtled towards Carnelian, who caught it in her muscular hand and extinguished it with a clench of her fist. "Hit me harder." She growled, blowing the smoke off her hand.

"With pleasure." Fire Opal smirked again as she waved her hands even more to create an even larger flame. She clutched it in her hands, whirled around and threw it at Carnelian. The large fireball seemed to go through Carnelian at astonishing speeds, leaving a few new burns on Carnelian's already scarred skin. Carnelian and Fire Opal practiced these kinds of pyrotechnics every day.

"Harder," Carnelian said before wincing in pain at a new burn on her shoulder.

Fire Opal did several aerial flips before landing on her feet and making a pushing movement with her calloused hands, creating an intense flame attack, a giant, fiery blast that looked like an orange comet. It surged towards Carnelian at high speeds, but she was able to summon a large shield and block herself. The flames sprayed away from Carnelian in every direction before eventually dying out.

"Harder! Use the dragon attack!" Carnelian shouted.

Fire Opal smiled. "Hmph." She slammed her fist into her palm and screamed with all her might. Her voice quickly got lower as a wall of flames surrounded her, her braid whipping around as though there was a powerful wind inside the flame vortex, her scream eventually ending in a loud roar. The wall of flames quickly moved together to form a giant dragon made entirely out of fire. It was almost 20 times larger than Fire Opal, and it stomped its clawed foot and snorted angrily. Fire Opal was certainly one to be able to channel her anger...her anger at the past, her anger at her superiors, every little thing that made her mad was channeled into her powerful dragon persona.

The dragon's white eyes glared down at Carnelian before it leaped over Fire Opal and breathed fire onto Carnelian, who blocked it with her shield. She held her ground, but the dragon lifted its paw and whacked Carnelian several feet in the air.

A Ruby ran to the training site, just dodging a flying Carnelian. She followed after the flying Quartz. "Master! I have just received a letter for you!" She shouted before noticing the fire dragon. She gasped and called for Carnelian again.

"Master! If you could just-"

"Out of my way, Ruby! This is my fight!" Carnelian yelled as she ran back towards the dragon, shoving the Ruby with her broad, muscular shoulders in the process.

The shove almost knocked the letter out of the Ruby's hands. She grunted as she fell on the concrete. "I wasn't asking to fight it, I was asking to-"

"Got you now!" Carnelian summoned a morning star that only she could lift and ran into the flaming dragon's chest, cutting through it and destroying it. It let out a final roar of agony, then dissolved into smoke.

"Master!" The Ruby called.

Carnelian turned and dropped her morning star. She took a minute to acknowledge her burns and bruises before acknowledging the Ruby. "What is it? Couldn't you have just waited?" Carnelian shouted in frustration, although it wasn't as frightening due to her gasping breaths.

" _You_ _have_ _a letter_!" The Ruby said through gritted teeth, emphasizing each word.

"A letter? From whom?" Carnelian asked, approaching the Ruby. Fire Opal followed reluctantly after her.

"It was delivered to us by a black Gem wearing armor. She didn't seem armed." The Ruby said.

"Fire Opal! Get over here!" Carnelian yelled only to be surprised by Fire Opal standing behind her.

"I'm right here." She said calmly.

"We have received a letter," Carnelian said, her voice back to its usual loud and boisterous self. She unfolded the letter and the two began reading. Carnelian's eyes wandered from the paper to the Ruby, who was still standing there. "What are you waiting for? Death? Go back to the barracks and await orders!" Carnelian shouted, pointing sharply in the direction of the barracks.

"Aye, sir!" The Ruby said, saluting obediently and running back to the barracks.

Carnelian got back to reading. It was a rather short letter, and both Carnelian and Fire Opal were mostly silent except for the occasional "Hmm"s and "Oh"s. Fire Opal gasped at the note at the bottom of the letter but decided not to make a big deal.

"Won't Yellow Diamond be pleased that we took care of their little problem?" Carnelian smiled in wry amusement as she playfully punched Fire Opal on the shoulder.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

"How are you coming along, my Diamond?" Maw Sit Sit asked as she placed a tray of tea on the nightstand beside White Diamond's bed. She had been laying there for several days, not even thinking to change outfits, which wasn't like her at all. Maw Sit Sit and White Diamond's Pearls worked for her hand and foot during her time of grief.

"I'm doing fine." White Diamond replied coldly.

"Maw Sit Sit suggests you turn on some lights. It would brighten the tone in here." Maw Sit Sit said, looking up and around the dark bedroom. Even the curtains were closed.

"What's with you and speaking in the third person? You did so well last time we met up...do I have to whip you again?" White Diamond growled.

"No, no, my Diamond." Maw Sit Sit flinched.

"Wonderful...My court is no place for social and speech imperfections such as that." White Diamond said, her voice returning to its calm tone, the tone that was still scary for her servants. One mishap can turn that calm into a killing mood.

"Anyway... _I_ was wondering when you would like to get started on the response to the assassination of Blue Diamond...your subjects are anxiously awaiting it." Maw Sit Sit said.

"Anxiously awaiting my response? Hah! My answer is simple, the assassins and all who are associated with them shall die by my hands and burn in hell...no one gets away with killing a goddess!" White Diamond shouted, sitting up abruptly in her bed.

"But, weren't you and Yellow Diamond always abusive to her?" Maw Sit Sit asked.

"We never had any intention to kill her, we just had to whip her into shape. In battle, Blue Diamond is valuable. Together, the three of us would create the Alpha Diamond, Black Diamond...the ultimate goddess of power...a Gem Titania! The divine queen of Gems! Now she's gone, and my sister and I will only create a slightly weaker Alpha Diamond...Brown Diamond. Nevertheless, once the Cluster and the Moonstone discover their true power, we'll have to form an Alpha Diamond." White Diamond explained. Maw Sit Sit's eyes widened and she trembled at the thought of an Alpha Diamond.

Maw Sit Sit pulled out her notebook and a pen. "Please, what would you like your citizens to hear?"

"Well, let's start by addressing those dirty sister killers, shall we? Maybe throw some dirt on 'em?" White Diamond said, smiling evilly.

* * *

 _Dear Citizens of Homeworld,_

 _As most of you have heard, a tragedy has happened here on Homeworld. One that will likely be recorded in the records and told of for centuries. A fragment of our sovereign trifecta, Blue Diamond, has been murdered. News has spread of the identities of our murderers. Blue Diamond's blood was spilled at the hands of a Gem named Moonstone, a deviant responsible for helping write the letter that shook Homeworld and made the citizens aware of this future war. Alongside her is sentient Cluster, Rhodonite, who after our efforts to restrain and civilize her has lost control of her instincts and plans to destroy our way of life from the inside. Their escape pilot was a defective Peridot named Gaspeite, who cleared the scene for them to escape._

 _There will be no evacuations._

 _By the power of the Great Diamond Authority, a second Gem War has been declared on the rebels who dared kill Blue Diamond and strike terror in the hearts of our citizens. Our great armies will soon train and gather, and a final battle will be fought. All citizens that are not ranked to fight must come underground to our bomb shelters. However, shelter must be reserved in order for it to be used. No exceptions._

 _May the light of our great government bring the hammer of justice down on the deviants who have tarnished the peace and morals of this land...May we protect our beloved planet from the Cluster and her sinister followers._

 _Hail Homeworld,_

 _Hail the Great Diamond Authority_

 _-Maw Sit Sit_

 _Representative of the Great Diamond Authority_

* * *

Black Pearl ran into the temple, panting. Her armor made small metallic clinks as she moved. Her bangs had come out of her originally tight ponytail and dangled tauntingly over her nose. It was night, and Rhodonite had assumed that she took the long way back.

Moonstone, however, had assumed the worst. "You're back!" She ran over and hugged Blackie.

"Yeah, I'm back." Black Pearl looked down at Moonstone, who had buried her face in her chest, and pushed her away as if she were a stranger.

"How did it go?" Rhodonite asked.

"I don't know. Guess we'll figure out later." Black Pearl shrugged. "But, I did find this getting passed around on the way back." Black Pearl pulled another letter out of her boot. "It's from the Diamonds."

"Lemme see that." Moonstone grabbed the letter out of Black Pearl's hand. "Oh wait, have you read it yet?"

"Every excruciating word." Black Pearl replied.

"Oh." Moonstone skimmed the letter quickly. "No way...she told lies about you, Rho!"

"What?" Rhodonite ran over to look over Moonstone's shoulder. Gaspeite followed.

"Oh phew, I'm in the clear," Gaspeite said with a sigh of relief.

Rhodonite shot a glare at Gaspeite before looking back down and reading. "What? That was never my plan! Now I'm sure not even Carnelian will want to join us!" Rhodonite shouted.

"But...Fire Opal still might." Black Pearl said.

"Hmm?" Rhodonite turned to Black Pearl.

"You wrote that note. She'll obviously want to see her old master again." Black Pearl replied.

"Ah...but the citizens? What will they think?" Moonstone cut in.

"They'll probably think the worst, but that won't stop us from doing our best." Black Pearl said, clenching her fists in determination.

"You've gotten quite good at encouragement, I guess Moonie's rubbed off on you." Gaspeite winked.

"What?" Black Pearl scoffed and turned away. "No, she hasn't!"

* * *

 **Hey, ya'll! So, I know most of you guys hate me for taking so long on EVERYTHING, yes you can hate me all you want it's a free country (Or, at least everyone here on this Earth deserves to be freeee)**

 **I had a gigantic block, but o** **ver the block time, I became an otaku. Yay. I basically just watched a ton of anime to get ideas and I became obsessed in the process. My family is already sick of me for making constant references, and the strange creole of Japanese and English that I speak in most of the time.**

 **Strangely enough, I seriously thought of giving up fanfic completely. I did, along with a lot of other crazy transitions that I ended up not doing. I went to check Fanfiction to reply to a PM and I read through reviews to find a reference someone made. After reading through the reviews, and thinking about all the plans I had, I was filled with DETERMINATION to keep writing!**

 **Back to this chapter, things are finally getting set. These last two letters set the stage for the very first battle of the second Gem War!**

 **How was this chapter? Let me know in the reviews!**

 **Edit: Okay since I have gotten several reviews about the author's notes, I have removed them so reviewers can focus on the story. Lesson learned! Happy reading!**


	42. The Militia of Flames

Footsteps echoed through the streets of Homeworld. Many, many, hundreds of footsteps. The common pedestrians cleared the way for the large war party...the Militia of Flames, whispering among themselves.

"Is that the Militia of Flames?"

"This really must be serious."

"I thought they were for conquering other planets?"

Leading the pack were the famous leaders, Carnelian, a muscular brute of a Quartz, wearing nothing but harem pants, a vest, her breasts wrapped in white strips of cloth, like ace bandages. Her outfit seemed to show off her many battle scars and toned body, from bullet wounds from natives of multiple planets trying to fight back, to the claw marks of many a dangerous, exotic beast who dared challenge her. Her lack of armor showed her strength and guts, and the determined glare on her face instantly struck fear in the citizens' hearts. Beside her was Fire Opal, a frightening genetic mix of Ruby, Pearl, and Quartz, emerged from AgniKok, a volcanic planet in a distant solar system. She was practically bred to become a great firebender, a powerful firebender. Even without her massacring flames, she was trained by the great soldier Howlite, whose was the old leader of the Militia until she disappeared without a trace. Behind the two Gems was only a fraction of the greatest militia in Gem history, a team built of the strongest Gems, the most effective fusers, and the newest and strongest of Gem weapons.

Carnelian looked back at her militia and noticed that a banner-holding Pearl was out of place. "Dui!" She shouted sharply. The Pearl whimpered and went back to marching where she should.

"Hehe, I hope these rebels are strong...I'm all fired up to face a real challenge!" Carnelian turned to Fire Opal to express her excitement, cracking her knuckles.

"Let's hope they aren't too strong...We lost a perfectly good Jasper last time Yellow Diamond asked us to deal with rebels. She was a valuable asset, but I can't imagine losing any more soldiers to worthless deviants who are too weak to face us with their flesh." Fire Opal said coldly. She was still thinking about Howlite.

"We have me this time, I'll wipe them all out!" Carnelian smiled, flexing one of her meaty arms with pride.

"Mm." Fire Opal frowned, looking down.

"Right, of course, we have you! You could char 'em to ash! Watching a dragon burn them all would be cool to watch!" Carnelian tried to encourage Fire Opal.

Fire Opal ignored Carnelian and pulled out the letter that was supposedly from Howlite's outfit, then pulled out a map. "We're almost there. They must be hiding in the oncoming trench...clever."

"Let's go! They can't possibly be ready for us!" Carnelian started sprinting towards the trench, which was in sight. "Fire Team, move out! Follow me, and ready your weapons!"

Fire Opal wasn't shocked by Carnelian's eagerness, and she reluctantly followed after her master. After all, she was lesser to a pureblood Quartz, despite being stronger. The soldiers behind her sounded their battle cries and almost stampeded the reluctant Fire Opal with their thundering steps. Although they hadn't brought bombs or any large weapons, Carnelian figured it would be a good time to test out CyberCats, mutated alien panthers whose minds can synchronize with their handlers. Installing handler Gems with the augmentation needed to control the CyberCats was one of the only Gem experiments that worked successfully. Fire Opal could hear shaky breaths behind her, so she turned to see a light blue Gem with brown veins struggling to walk.

She recognized the Gem as the newest CyberCat handler in the Militia. It has been said that the augmentation drains out Gem power, and it was dangerous for young Gems when in use.

"Turquoise!" Fire Opal called as she ran back towards the nearly fallen Gem.

"Fi? You're supposed to be with Master Carnelian..." The blue Gem said softly.

"I have time." Turquoise wrapped her arm around Fire Opal and allowed her to lift her up. "Come on."

"But...I don't even want to do this...Can't you carry me, or leave me here?" Turquoise asked.

"No one asked to be here, but you're supposed to fight anyway, or else there'll be no hope of ever getting out." Fire Opal said.

"You think we'll get to retire or something?" Turquoise asked.

"Of course not. Listen here, there's no freedom here, no such thing at all. You fight until you die, and that's what sets you free for real." Fire Opal said sternly.

"Oh."

"Now, use that thought to power your panther, I see Carnelian and the others have made it." Fire Opal said just as she heard Carnelian yell, "Geronimo!" meaning that she must've jumped into the trench.

"Fire Opal?"

"Yes?"

"What really powers you to fight?"

"I said that already, it's death. It used to be someone, someone worth fighting for, but now that someone is death, who chases me like a dog chases a rabbit."

"Oh."

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

"We haven't received any word from the Militia...I know we sent them the letter, how could they have not read it?" Moonstone asked in the main temple room.

"Maybe they have a long waiting list or something." Rhodonite shrugged.

"Right, sure, let's go with that theory," Gaspeite said sarcastically.

"Hey! It's a decent suggestion!" Rhodonite shouted in defense.

"The Ruby I gave it to ran to Carnelian right away, so there's no excuse." Black Pearl added, crossing her arms.

The four Gems froze as they heard distant battle cries getting louder and louder.

Rhodonite stuck her finger in her ear and twisted it around. "Hmm. I doubt it's this wax buildup." She rubbed her waxy finger on her pants.

"Rho! You uncivilized beast!" Moonstone flinched in disgust.

"What? You signed up for it." Rhodonite shrugged.

THUD!

The four Gems were silent.

THUD! THUD! THUD! Hundreds and hundreds of thuds caused the ground to shake. It was the Militia of Flames jumping down into the trench. Carnelian and the trained soldiers landed on their feet, ready to go, weapons drawn.

"Show yourselves, in the name of Yellow Diamond!" Carnelian shouted, pulling out her shield and her giant morning star.

"It's the Militia! They're attacking us!" Moonstone cried.

Black Pearl changed into her black armor, weapons and all. The Gems had no choice but to fight them, even though they would probably lose. Rhodonite wielded her tomahawk and Moonstone her bo staff, Gaspeite pulled out two laser pistols and twirled them cockily. They got in a makeshift formation, with Rhodonite and Moonstone in the front and Blackie and Gaspeite in the back. They marched to face the Militia of Flames, who were getting hurried into their own positions by a perfectionist Carnelian. After getting everyone in place in the space outside the temple, which was actually quite vast, Carnelian turned to face Rhodonite with a smug, devilish grin that could easily be mistaken for a sunny disposition.

"So, you decided not to join us, eh?" Rhodonite asked.

"Never in a million years, we serve our Diamond with pride. We protect the light of our great planet from devils like you, Cluster!" Carnelian said triumphantly.

Rhodonite chuckled to herself, which sounded almost like a quiet evil cackle. "How ignorant you are..."

Moonstone was surprised at this comeback, she backed up a bit from Rhodonite.

"We don't let the killers of deities go on! No, you must die in a fire...You must die in a fire, only to descend into eternal flames!" Carnelian shouted.

Rhodonite flashed a wry grin. "So be it."

Every soldier in the Militia tightened their grips on their weapons, including Carnelian. The soldiers ran towards Moonstone, Black Pearl, and Gaspeite, closing in on them from all sides. If it weren't for Black Pearl's grenades, they would've been shattered almost instantly. It wasn't as bloody as fights during the Gem War, but Rhodonite had a feeling it would get worse. There were hints of the scents of gunpowder, metal, and blood in the air, mostly gunpowder from Black Pearl's effective grenades. One of the strongest enemies was facing Moonstone, a large wildcat with the smarts of a Gem. Every time Moonstone felt that it had been defeated, it kept coming back. Meanwhile, Carnelian began a face-off with Rhodonite, which consisted of Rhodonite effortlessly dodging Carnelian's attacks with her morning star.

THUD! Another sound of a Gem landing echoed through the trench.

"Great...there's more?" Black Pearl groaned as she tossed a grenade into a crowd of Rubies nonchalantly.

"Master!" The familiar voice of Fire Opal called. Rhodonite and Carnelian looked over to see her set down the weak Turquoise, letting her rest. It wasn't a natural rest, no, the young handler looked like a worn rag doll as she laid there.

"Fire Opal! Just in time!" Carnelian smiled. She looked at Rhodonite. "You're so dead."

Rhodonite swallowed her spit nervously. Despite her fake confidence, Carnelian and Fire Opal scared the tea out of her.

In a quick movement, Fire Opal breathed a wave of flames, poofing a fourth of the army in one blast. The smell of smoke quickly overpowered the smell of blood and metal. Moonstone ran over to the pile of lifeless Gems and began smashing them with her bo staff.

"What are you doing?" Carnelian asked. "That's our own troops, you idiot!"

"Alright!" Gaspeite shouted in triumph as she fired her two pistols, shattering two Quartzes in an instant.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up." Black Pearl grunted as she stabbed another Quartz, pulled out her spear, then waved it so the wet blood splattered onto the floor like her spear was covered in red water. "Geez, this poor thing never gets the chance to be clean, does it?"

"Where is Howlite? Where is she?" Fire Opal asked, her eyes pleading. "That's all I need!"

"That's not all you need, you need to kill them all!" Carnelian yelled.

"She's gone! She joined the Crystal Gems and sacrificed herself for Earth, like me, like us!" Rhodonite said.

"We're doing what now?" Gaspeite asked Black Pearl quietly.

"Then...why did I get a message from her?" Fire Opal asked. She could feel her skin heating up in anger. The ground burned to a crisp at her feet.

"I wrote that message, I figured you'd want to know," Rhodonite said calmly. She gave Fire Opal a patient smile.

Fire Opal's breathing grew heavy, her hands shook, and in that moment, everyone froze in their places. "You...She..." Fire Opal couldn't get the words out, she couldn't get her anger, her disappointment out...but there was a determination about her, a determination to fight for what her master believed in. She had to, for her, for her "mother".

"What's she doing?" Rhodonite whispered to Carnelian, despite their hatred for each other.

"You made her mad, now pay the price, Cluster," Carnelian smiled evilly.

Rhodonite looked back at Fire Opal, who was in the stance she used to create her fire dragon persona. Her fist was firmly nestled into her palm, and a wall of flames surrounded her and blew her braided hair like an ocean storm blows a windsock. The wall of flames morphed into the shape of a giant dragon, who stared down at Rhodonite and Carnelian. Its irisless eyes glared down at Rhodonite, who immediately began to sweat nervously. To everyone's surprise, its head turned to Carnelian. It inhaled a great breath, then exhaled a great inferno, charring Carnelian and to the point where she almost fell over. The dragon threw its head back and roared, which originally sprouted from an enraged scream from Fire Opal, both of which echoed through the streets of Homeworld and shook the ear drums of everyone in the trench.

Carnelian growled to herself. "What?"

The fire dragon leaped over its master and source of energy to claw, char, and poof every Gem in the Militia of Flames, until all that was left was Rhodonite and her crew, Carnelian, and a weak Turquoise. The dragon smashed Turquoise's CyberCat with her foot.

Carnelian summoned her morning star and shield and charged the dragon, but to no avail, just like in training the other day, Fire Opal's dragon swiped her away with its paw as though Carnelian weren't a Quartz, more so a pesky fly. Carnelian tried fighting Fire Opal again, and again, and again, but she wasn't able to destroy the dragon. Why? How is this time any different than the last hundred times? Carnelian was confident in her abilities, so confident that she treated a Gem that was older, more experienced, and more powerful than her as inferior, so confident that she wore no armor no matter what the enemy...but the longer she went at Fire Opal's dragon, the more her confidence faded...

Fire Opal, meanwhile, felt stronger than ever before. In training, she knew it wasn't important, she knew she had to keep her master alive, but here, she was powered by the memories of Howlite, she was powered by her anger of being treated like less than what she is, she was inspired by death and its jaws that were set almost like a trap that never lets you go... She was sick of Carnelian's perseverance, it wasn't going to do her any good in the situation, so in one last breath, Fire Opal yelled with all her might, closing her eyes and tensing her shoulders.

 _Let it ring, let it ring, let it ring...Hear me roar, and fear me! For Howlite, for death, for life, for love, for hate, for freedom and slavery...hear me!_

And with that, the great fire dragon drowned all of the Gems in a sea of fiery orange.

Everything went white.

* * *

 **And then they all died...the end!**

 **I'M KIDDING**

 **Fire Opal's fire can't shatter Gems, it can only poof them. In real life, the melting point of Gems is kind of high, so she'd have to master lavabending before anyone should worry. For now, she just pulled an Aquarius and hurt everyone despite their affiliation. Hehe, classic.**

 **So, this is the first battle of the Second Gem War. Surprisingly, there won't be many of these battles, just little fights here and there. I'm not even sure if this counts as a battle, but then again, the first "battle" of America's Revolutionary War was a sneak attack on Trenton. *shrugs* You never know.**

 **After last chapter's little mishap, I wouldn't be surprised if you guys hate seeing the bold print again...oh well. I learned my lesson, and thanks for the feedback! (Although, I'm not a big fan of reviews telling me to fix a mistake and not actually talking about the story.)**

 **In the beginning, I was expecting both Carnelian and Fire Opal as well as their Militia to join Rho's outfit. Then, I figured, that's boring. At that rate, every stray person who walks into Rho's base would automatically join them, which isn't how it works. I would much rather have Carnelian stay an antagonist that will have a faceoff with a fusion of three characters in the final battle (I'll let you guess.) Fire Opal joined Rhodonite's team for the same reason Pearl joined the Crystal Gems, they joined for someone instead of something. Fi doesn't know about Howlite's corruption yet, but she knows that she sacrificed herself for that cause. Out of loyalty to her master, she is willing to sacrifice herself too...almost like an avengement type thing.**

 **Man, I talk too much.**

 **Oh! Before I go, I bet some of the readers who also read _Skimming the Surface_ are wondering what the heck I'm doing. I'm still planning to continue it, but I'm finding it difficult to write about the Mettaton concert in fear it would be too mundane. I am hard at work on the story arc after the concert, though, featuring everyone's favorite creepy, soulless murderer. ;) **

**Reviews are encouraged, don't be shy!**


	43. Lost in the Storm (Short)

Howlite trekked for miles and miles, her sight no longer clouded. It had been weeks since she had regained her vision...how could she not think to see the ruins of her past life? Dramatic as it sounds, Howlite still remembered and stewed over everything she had gone through...she wanted to properly mourn it...The only way to do that was walk through the forest and try to find her escape pod. She figured it would be easy since she was able to navigate with all of her senses very well, but regaining her sight seemed to already weaken her other senses.

Howlite looked to the sky, it was a grey watercolor painting of storm clouds. The leafless branches of trees stretched towards the sky, but to Howlite, they looked like cracks in the image...cracks in reality. It was already beginning to rain, which soon turned to sleet that felt like knives on the skin as the wind blew in howling gusts. Nevertheless, Howlite was determined to find the escape pod.

"Howlite! Howlite!" Sodalite knew exactly what Howlite's plan was...but she hated herself for not figuring it out sooner. No one should have been out with the storm already striking Beach City. Sodalite began to sprint after her friend through the forest, but the storm quickly turned to a freezing whiteout.

Howlite could barely hear Sodalite's voice over the howling wind, but she ignored her and began to sprint, leaping over the trees and roots that she always tripped on before.

"This is all for the greater good." Voices echoed through her head.

"Take care of them for me."

She then remembered when she first met Fire Opal, where she had heard a word that had not been spoken since ancient Gem times when villagers would raise newly emerged Gems and care for them.

"You're a great soldier, Howlite. I figured it would be time to take the next step." A Quartz, Milky Quartz, to be exact, said to Howlite.

"W-What do you mean?" Howlite asked.

"A new breed of Gem was created on AgniKok...White Diamond requests that you train it, teach it your ways and your tactics. With the Gem War becoming imminent, you may not be around forever. You need an heir." Milky Quartz explained.

"An apprentice? I can't do that, it'll get in the way!" Howlite complained.

"It's your Diamond's orders. Besides, it's better than you think. You'll see." Milky Quartz smiled. "White Diamond always has the best ideas, doesn't she?"

Howlite nodded.

She flashed out of her memory. Just a simple recollection of White Diamond's era of kindness was enough to make an old soul like her cry...back when she believed in her Gems' happiness, just a little bit. How sad that in just a few years Homeworld would fade to coldness, inside and out. Cold, mechanical...but some philosophers said that Gems were meant to destroy worlds, to conquer and harvest the universe's resources. Maybe the words of those philosophers is what poisoned everyone's heads to do that in the first place?

Howlite flashed back into her memory. All she saw was a young Fire Opal running up and hugging Howlite with the biggest smile on her face.

"Mother!" Fire Opal cooed with joy.

Howlite gasped. The minute she felt Fire Opal's warm embrace, and her voice graced her ears...she felt a kind surge of tingly happiness...she decided it was empathy. Although unspoken, not even thought of, Howlite kept a promise to keep that small tingly warmth alive, like a small candle in her heart...even if the promise would cause her heart to melt.

Just like a candle.

The wind seemed to blow away Howlite's memory, the sharp sleet acting as a wake-up call. The daydream seemed to pass the time because Howlite was already there. The escape pod, the only relic of her past besides her augmentation. She stood over it, the sky and snow tinting the whole scene in grey. Howlite mourned, crying tears over everything...even worse, her tears caused her eyes to burn.

 _Stupid augmentation! Can't you at least feel like you're not there? Even for a second?_ _Fire Opal...I...I left her. I left...the one who calls me 'mother'. I left the acolyte at home...how am I supposed to keep warm?_

"Howlite! Howlite! There you are!" Sodalite's voice and footsteps interrupted Howlite's thoughts. She turned around, her braid whipping in the wind.

"Sodalite..." Howlite averted Sodalite's gaze as she approached her.

"What are you doing out here in the cold? I was so-" Sodalite asked, grabbing Howlite's soldiers. She stopped talking when she looked over to see the pod. "Oh."

"It was a stupid impulse, we should go home," Howlite said coldly, already beginning to walk away.

"What? No, I refuse to accept that it was an impulse, there has to be a reason you ran all the way out here, not to mention, during a storm as strong as this!" Sodalite shouted.

"Why do you care whether it's an impulse or not? You healed me, or...Rose healed me. You don't have to take care of me anymore, you're just tiring yourself." Howlite said.

"Did you ever think we were friends? I did...so, as your friend, I'm asking you why you came all the way out here to see this beat-up escape pod? I can tell it's been bothering you, so why go see it and just sit there and look at it like a weirdo?" Sodalite argued.

Howlite turned to face Sodalite. "You are my friend, but I'm not going to expect you to get these things."

"Try me! I get it, you're _Howlite_ , you had a prestigious life as a war leader with an apprentice who you saw as a child rather than a friend but it was all taken away by White Diamond and now you're _trapped_ on this so-called _miserable mudball_ with _me_ and _Rose, Garnet and the others_...who are just _horrible, fuse-happy hooligans_...I GET IT, YOU HATE IT HERE!" Sodalite explained mockingly until she burst out into a shout, much to the surprise of Howlite.

"That's not what I meant." Howlite stuttered.

"THEN WHAT DID YOU MEAN?" Sodalite yelled. She grabbed Howlite by the star on her shirt. "YOU PUT ON THE STAR, YOU BELIEVE IN WHAT WE BELIEVE. So...why do you miss them so much?"

Howlite clenched her fist. "I don't know...Maybe it's because I hate change, maybe I'm scared, maybe I'm traumatized...I don't know. You have to realize how difficult a transition here is like, purposeful or not." Howlite said. "Do you ever just, miss familiarity? Even if that familiarity was hell, do you still wonder that if maybe you gave it one more chance, that if maybe you took a stand in the old place, maybe you could live better without being trapped in a place you'll never be accepted in?"

Sodalite was stunned. "Is that how you feel?"

"I mean, I guess! Don't you feel strange here? Have you tried talking to humans? Everything is just weird, the culture is weird, the geography is weird, and now my stupid eyes get in the way constantly. I can't even sit on the beach with you without worrying that I'll screw myself up and I'll end up being blind again...permanently. After regaining my vision again, I'm not sure if I want to go back." Howlite said.

The storm seemed to get worse as Sodalite's heart beat faster and faster, as her head swirled with all these words. "Howlite, listen to me. It doesn't matter where we came from, it doesn't matter how we got here or why we got here, it doesn't matter how the humans see us or anything like that. The unknown is beautiful, Howlite. Just like you...I don't know everything about you, and even if I did, you'd dwarf every sunset on the beach. What matters is us, and what we're fighting for. What matters is that we're all in this together, and we'll be together, no matter what. You'll never be alone because you have me, and that's a fact."

Howlite had tears in welling in her eyes, but she closed them so they could trickle down her cold cheeks. She smiled. "I can assure you, you'll never be alone either."

"And hopefully, maybe you'll see Fire Opal again. It's written in the stars." Sodalite said. Right after she spoke those words, the storm cleared with Sodalite's magic. The wind died down, the snow flurries drifted and settled on the ground, and the storm clouds cleared to reveal a beautiful star-filled sky not yet affected by modern air-pollution.

"You know, I may miss her, but I have you. And that's all I need." Howlite replied.

Sodalite and Howlite slowly, almost unconsciously got close, and although Gems didn't produce body heat, there was a warm intimacy between the two. All that they could hear was the movement of the trees, and the pounding of heartbeats in their chests, at least, it felt like heartbeats. Both Gems closed their eyes, and soon all they could feel was the light brushing of noses on their cheeks and the rubbing of cold, chapped lips. They wrapped their arms around each other but slightly pulled apart once the moment was over. Sodalite and Howlite looked at each other, seeming stunned at what they just did, but of course, they both meant it. They meant it with all their hearts. Howlite saw it as a way of letting go, that maybe Sodalite was more than a caretaker or a friend or a fellow soldier. She had no idea that a relationship beyond those boundaries existed, but as Sodalite said, the unknown was beautiful, and she wanted to think about and explore it forever.

And that was the story of Howlite and Sodalite's first kiss.

* * *

 _ **I know love will find a way, anywhere I go,**_  
 _ **I'm home if you are there beside me,**_

 _ **Like dark, turning into day,**_  
 _ **Somehow we'll come through,**_  
 _ **Now that I've found you,**_  
 _ **Love will find a way...**_

 _ **-Lion King II**_

 **Meh, felt like it fit.**

 **Fun fact about me that may not be surprising: I'm a procrastinator. I procrastinate so much, that I work on shorts instead of what I'm supposed to be working on. I've written a few shorts, most of them inspired by music I could be currently listening to. These shorts include the chapter _Casual Dreams_ , this one, and a High School AU that I'm not sure when I want to post. Probably at the end of the story near the credits (Yes, I'm doing credits), but whenever you guys want to see it, let me know. **

**I love writing romance, especially with these two, although I've never experienced it. I just like writing these little Disney-esque scenes like this, and Sodalite and Howlite have a very interesting dynamic that I think would make a great Disney movie if I got to make an original story out of them (Without the Steven Universe mixed in, of course.) I also put this short after the last chapter to give insight to how Howlite sees Fire Opal and how Fire Opal sees Howlite. It's definitely more maternal than anything else.**

 **How did everyone like this short?**


	44. Gem Training (Werden die Jäger)

There was never any wind on Homeworld. Over the centuries, the Gems had drained the water and contaminated the oxygen of their planet. There was never any natural weather besides sunny there, which was a blessing and a curse. The trench where the abandoned temple lie was silent for almost a day. It was surprising that no one took advantage of the poofed rebels, including the traitorous firebender, Fire Opal.

Rhodonite and Black Pearl regenerated at the same time. Once on their feet, they both shouted, "Moonstone!" before looking at each other.

Moonstone quickly regenerated as well, wearing a long silver dress. She certainly wasn't dressed for battle, which Black Pearl found incredibly stupid. "I'm alright!"

"No one thinks to ask how ol' Gaspeite's doing, do they?" Gaspeite asked a few minutes later. The four Gems were regenerated together, but Fire Opal was nowhere to be found. At least, not until a weak grunt echoed through the trench.

"You...Gems...what are you doing just sitting around?" A weary Fire Opal limped over to the four Gems. "Carnelian'll be back, with reinforcements. We have to find some as well. I hope you've recovered to your full strength."

"We have," Rhodonite said with a nod.

"I don't think I have," Gaspeite mumbled.

"It doesn't matter. I'm here to defend Howlite's cause, and you either work and fight, or you leave. It's that simple." Fire Opal said sternly.

Rhodonite and Moonstone looked at each other before Rhodonite spoke. "Now hold on a second, I'm the one leading this cause."

"Well, then you will help me train them. I know these Gems, and I know what they're capable of. You have custody of Gaspeite the Animator, and Jet, or should I say, Black Pearl, who is wanted on 2,200 planets for assorted crimes, mostly murder. Jet is skilled and prepared, and this is the one time I'll let her crimes slide. As for Gaspeite, you need to get healing tonic for her if you want her to be of use, gun-slinging only takes you so far. I've also heard a bit about you and your lover here, Rhodonite." Fire Opal explained. "Moonstone killed off Blue Diamond, and you were the one who started all of this. I suggest we get started right away."

"Right away? Shouldn't we, like, rest first?" Gaspeite asked.

"Shouldn't _you_ , like, not disobey my orders?" Fire Opal growled mockingly before walking inside the temple base. The bricks were slightly charred on the outside, but nobody said anything. Fire Opal stood proudly in front of one of the statues in the back of the room. "And since you complained, you get to spar with me first. People confuse me, but I'll take your complaints as a coverup. I know you want to show off your brute strength to your peers."

Rhodonite and Moonstone giggled as Gaspeite muttered curses under her breath. As she approached Fire Opal, she pulled out her two pistols. As soon as she pulled them away from her belt, Fire Opal blew them out of her hands with small fire blasts. Gaspeite jumped, "What was that for?"

"You won't be needing those. One must learn to fight without a weapon, and for you, it is of the utmost importance." Fire Opal explained sternly.

"Uuugh. Alright." Gaspeite held up her small fists, and in a fit of anger, she charged Fire Opal, yelling a squeaky battle cry. Fire Opal smirked and grabbed Gaspeite's shirt, lifted her up and over her, and smashing her feeble body on the floor.

"Too easy. I know you can do better." Fire Opal said calmly.

"C-can Rhodonite go next?" Gaspeite moaned as she laid on the floor.

"What? Why me?" Rhodonite shouted.

"Don't put me off, I'll get you up bright and early tomorrow to finish this." Fire Opal smiled devilishly. "Next!"

"Ooooh." Gaspeite sulked to her sleeping quarters down the hall. Rhodonite stepped up, and Moonstone and Black Pearl stepped back. They seemed to know what Fire Opal's plan with Rhodonite was, and they knew that things were going to turn savage any minute.

"You've been through a lot, eh, Cluster?" Fire Opal asked, smirking. "You have power inside of you, and I want to see if we can harness something that no one else is brave enough to use."

Rhodonite cocked an eyebrow.

"You're weak." Fire Opal's voice turned stern. "You're cowardly. You have the ability to slaughter the Diamonds one by one, yet you don't even try. You cling to Rose Quartz and the past like a safety blanket. You are brave enough to publicize your hate, but you can't even take your girlfriend on a goddamn date. Every person meant to stop you, including the Diamonds, Maw Sit Sit, Carnelian and myself, know you like the back of your hand. Face it, you're dead where you stand."

Rhodonite's hands began to shake, her shoulders tensed and her right eye twitched. "You don't know what you're talking about." She growled.

"Your determination is unstable. You're unstable. That leads to villainy. Soon you won't just be after the Diamonds, but everyone else too. That's because you're meant to kill. Why do you think you set all of this up?" Fire Opal continued to fire up Rhodonite.

"What is she doing?" Moonstone whispered with a hint of frustration.

"Shh, I want to know what happens." Black Pearl whispered back.

"You're a mindless monster. Show me you aren't." Fire Opal said with a surprising calmness.

Rhodonite clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. Even as she tighten the muscles in her arms, they still shook until she collapsed, transforming into the creature that Moonstone knew well. The sauropod beast that came out during moments of intense emotion. How could Rhodonite not see what Fire Opal was saying as a game? Moonstone knew the creature inside was hard to control, since Rhodonite was impulsive enough. The beast hit its head on the temple and lowered it just a touch, much to its frustration. However, the ceiling didn't stop its blue and pink crest from standing on end. The creature's stood strongly on its six legs, stared into the eyes of a cockily tranquil Fire Opal and roared in her face, blowing her braided hair away. "I'LL SHOW _YOU_ MINDLESS!"

"There she is." Fire Opal cooed happily. "Angry, big, strong, unstable, but powerful. What an asset to me you are."

Rhodonite growled and tried to whack away Fire Opal with her paw, but she dodged it by rocketing herself away with fire magic. Fire Opal landed behind Rhodonite, who turned abruptly around, knocking things over with her long tail.

"Rho! She's messing with you! Don't kill her, okay?" Moonstone shouted while throwing a rock at Rhodonite's head to get her attention. In response, the beast snorted and clawed Moonstone, leaving a bloody gash on her shoulder.

"I probably should have told you not to mess with either of them." Black Pearl said casually as Moonstone walked over to her. She was leaning against the wall, watching the fight as nonchalantly as a baseball game.

"S-She usually listens to me," Moonstone whispered.

"You have to realize that you're not always in control, aristocrat." Black Pearl muttered. Moonstone was confused at first until she remembered her lie. The two Gems focused back on the fight to see that Fire Opal had harnessed her dragon spirit, and the two were having a face-off of fangs and claws that was causing a bit of damage to the inside of the temple. Moonstone especially didn't appreciate the dissonant vibrations in the ground with every footstep of the creatures. "Rho's gonna lose. Look, she's too burned. Besides, her corruption won't last. She'll poof." Black Pearl said.

And just like that, Rhodonite let out a final roar of agony and exploded in a cloud of pinkish white smoke. Moonstone ran over to catch her falling Gem.

"Joke's on her. I was first sergeant of the Corruption Corps for 100 years." Fire Opal said, dusting off her hands.

"What was that for?" Moonstone asked.

"Training. Everyone knows how this war is going to work. As much as the Diamonds hate it, fusion is the only way to wipe out every trace of nonconformity. Knowing of Rhodonite's condition, they may form an Alpha Diamond. The only way to win is to harness Rhodonite's corrupt power." Fire Opal explained.

"So, kind of like a Godzilla versus whoever it is the screenwriters came up with next?" Black Pearl asked.

"What?"

"Never mind."

"Anyway. We train tomorrow again. All day, every day until we are ready, or if they find us first, understand?" Fire Opal started down the hallway to the sleeping quarter rooms. Black Pearl followed readily, much to Moonstone's surprise. She was confused by Fire Opal's actions. Although, it was surprising that she had been on Homeworld the longest and yet she was the most confused. Fire Opal turned back before leaving them completely. "I won't lose."

* * *

WHIIIIIRR!

"It's finished!" Pearl sang proudly, much to Peridot's annoyance. She flinched at Pearl's singing.

"Finally," Peridot muttered.

A weary Amethyst was laying on the grass, staring up at the passing, fluffy clouds in the blue sky. Steven laid down next to the small purple Gem. "No luck on finding Rhodonite?"

"Nope."

"Man, it's been months. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to her. I would keep looking." Steven said.

Amethyst nodded, although it wasn't much of a nod and more of a slight vertical movement of her head, but Steven knew what she meant. Besides, the Crystal Gems had had their hands full for quite some time. With the threat of Diamond attack, the Cluster hatching at any moment, and Malachite looming over them, all they had been doing is taking precautions. Connie had recommended to Steven that a seismometer would be a good device to track the Cluster's movements, so Pearl and Peridot whipped up a high tech one just that day, since the drill was almost if not complete. It only took a few seconds to bury the seismometer and connect it to all the necessary equipment.

"Alright. All done. Now we can move on to other manners. Garnet, I-" Pearl began before...

BOOM!

The ground shook with so much velocity, it felt like someone was pounding at the Earth from the inside...which is likely what it was. The shock caused everything to bounce, including the drill and the Gems. They all landed with light grunts before glancing at each other with worry.

 _The clock is ticking._

* * *

 **Filler scenes, filler scenes everywhere.**

 **I hate making you wait this long only for it to suck.**

 **Welcome back to Broken Together!**

 **So, this is just a filler scene, obviously. The Second War looks to be really short because you know the Diamonds don't want to waste time.**

 **So...Can I just say some things?**

 **I added the scene with Steven and Crystal Gems at the end for three reasons:**

 **1\. A lot of people have been asking when I'm gonna go back to them. I like to imagine fanfiction as two lines. One is a straight line, a medium, an x-axis, and that's canon. Another line is the fanfiction. In the beginning, my fanfiction line was just parallel to canon, not quite canon, but close. As the story progressed, the fanfic line went berserk and practically scribbled all over the graph paper...Yet, for some reason, it still looks pretty good according to you guys. Near the end, I plan to go back to that parallel. Just be patient.**

 **2\. I had the idea for the seismometer in my head for a while. Way back before Rho ended up on Homeworld. To be honest, the new trailer made me super excited but it also made me feel hurried as a fanfic writer. I wanted to write that idea down just in case they come up with the same thing. Just so I could say that I called it. Idk that sounds childish but that was a legitimate thought.**

 **3\. I miss the Crystal Gems...a lot. The last time I really wrote about them was in the beginning, and my portrayals of them sucked, according to someone. I wanted to write a scene about them just to see if I even grew at all since then. I have complex feelings about straying this far from canon. I was listening to the soundtrack for the first time in weeks, maybe even months and I couldn't help but think, "What went wrong here?". Like, Steven Universe to me was kind of my safe place. I would watch it whenever I was sad or anxious. This fanfic took my fantasy, then symbolically mixed it up in my aggressive, destructive tangle with reality. Basically, I turned it into a complex piece of shit. I'm sorry if you guys were expecting a fun fanfic from the start but just ended up being disappointed. I remember when I watched The Answer for the first time...I was in the thick of my struggles with identity. I wanted to cry, because that episode meant so much more than a love story to me. It gave me hope, even if that sounds a little dramatic, but it did. If I didn't see my characters as portrayals of my own inner demons, then maybe I would enjoy reading this. I enjoy writing this, but thoughts like these are ongoing for me. So I wrote about the Gems, to kind of remind me of why the heck I'm here.**

 **Okay, back to the story.**

 **Fire Opal is used to military strictness, so she's going to train Rho's group harder than my gym teacher does...and that's saying something. Imagine running a bunch of laps while he sits in a cushioned chair, eats a donut and says, "It's not that hard."**

 **My life.**

 **As always, REVIEWS ARE ENCOURAGED!**


	45. Don't Give Up

It was late at night, and Homeworld was mostly silent. Ever since the first battle the Crystal Gems Homeworld Division and the Militia of Flames had, the streets have been empty at night, only a few Gems lurking in the shadows and hiding. Despite the Diamonds' orders to keep working, the citizens felt much safer working on their own devices in the safety of their homes. It was common for soldiers on both sides to be restless, and tonight seemed to be Moonstone's night. Rhodonite told her once that her fear of sneak attacks reminded her of Howlite, and those words often lingered in her mind during nights like these. What was Moonstone doing, exactly? At around 11:00, Moonstone left for a run. She sprinted through the streets despite the looming threat of attack. All there was in the silent town where her echoing footsteps and her heavy breathing until...

Moonstone slid to a stop at the sound of heavy breathing and shaky sobs. She looked around the street and squinted at the shadowy areas...No one there.

A loud wail echoed through the empty streets again. Moonstone jumped at the startling sound and kept scanning the area. It sounded close by. She finally received some interesting information through the many sounds the other person was making. Grunting noises, as though struggling. Moonstone looked over and up to an elevated train track, which acted as a bridge for the trains to go over the streets where Gems would walk or drive speeders. She looked up at one of the pillars erecting the bridge and saw a burly shadow climbing it.

 _A Quartz? That's odd..._

Moonstone ran towards the pillar opposite the one the Quartz-like figure was climbing. She had always been agile and strong, even as Blue Diamond, so she was able to climb quickly. After finishing the short climb, Moonstone ended up next to a train track, just as she expected. Bridges such as these always had small standing areas on the sides, just in case the train had to be stopped. The figure reached the top as well and stared at Moonstone from across the tracks.

It was definitely a Quartz.

The funny thing about the empty streets, since the Diamonds expected all of the Gems to still be working, everything was still kept on by the technicians that handled the entire's planet's electricity. The street lights were still on, the trains still ran, which made it look like the city was still up and running from afar. The Quartz looked typical, broad-shouldered, tall, muscular, with long, bushy hair that was like white chocolate. Her skin was a powder blue light in hue with a slight iridescence, but not much. Much like a Jasper, her skin was two toned, most of it blue with markings which were a whitish-gray-silver color. The glittering blue Gem of hers was placed just below the side of her shoulder. Even from far away, Moonstone could see the fear and anticipation in her silverish- blue eyes. Her face, covered in tears, seemed to glisten in the street lights, but she quickly turned it away as she peered down the track, as though waiting for something. As she turned, Moonstone could see a White Diamond emblem on her sleeve, even though most Gems like the one standing before her would've belonged to Blue Diamond.

Moonstone followed the Quartz's gaze down the track. Suddenly, bright yellow lights seemed to be coming around the corner. Just like she expected, a train was coming their way at incredibly fast speeds, the purple paint on the thing almost blending in with the dark night.

The Quartz seemed to flinch, more tears coming out of her eyes almost uncontrollably. She took a few steps closer to the track so that she was right next to it. The train's horn blared in both of their ears, and it was then that Moonstone knew exactly what the Quartz was doing.

It was a suicide.

During her days as Blue Diamond, or as Moonstone for that matter, she never knew how to handle suicides, and yes, she had seen lots of them. She had lost Pearls and slaves that way, and she cried almost every time, but of course, her sisters shrugged it off like they had it coming. Not this time, no, Moonstone wasn't going to sit and watch it happen. She approached the train tracks as well. The Quartz looked at her with surprise, assuming it had become a double suicide.

 _At least I have somebody with me._ She thought as a smile came across her face. _We can be saved from this awful world together._

The train honked its horn once more, almost as a way to say, "Move over!". It inched closer, no, sped closer. The Quartz nodded at Moonstone, like some sort of cue, before stepping onto the train tracks. She stood proudly, her arms out. The speed at which the train was approaching blew the flowing tears and her bushy hair out of her face. She then turned so that her Gem faced the pointed front of the train. Moonstone's eyes widened at the sight of the Quartz, and after another horn blare, almost like a last warning, Moonstone made up her mind on whether or not to save the stranger or leave her be. Moonstone leaped onto the Quartz, clobbering her off the train tracks.

The train whizzed by and soon disappeared down the tracks. Moonstone was still holding on to the Quartz, who came to a few seconds later.

"Huh? What?" The Quartz asked, looking at Moonstone. She pushed her away. "You! Look what you did! I missed my chance, now I'm gonna have to-" She paused. "Wait for the next train! All because of you!" The Quartz stood up and was getting ready to stomp away, but Moonstone grabbed her muscular arm.

"Please don't," Moonstone said.

"And why should I not? You don't know me, you don't care about me, you don't understand! You probably just came to save me to look good, just because White Diamond didn't want me to get away that easily! Go home, just forget it." The Quartz shouted, she tried to struggle out of Moonstone's grip, but it just tightened. "JUST LET ME GO, PLEASE!" She pleaded.

"No! That's not why, you know that's not why. Just, please don't do this." Moonstone said quietly, pulling the Quartz down to her level.

The Quartz scoffed and looked away.

Moonstone wrapped her arm around the Quartz. "What's your name? I'm Moonstone, in case you wanted to know."

"Aura Quartz. Aura, for short." The Quartz mumbled under her breath, still avoiding Moonstone's gaze.

"That's a pretty name. So, what are you doing out here, Aura?" Moonstone tried to take a simple approach instead of instantly picking her apart.

"What's it look like I'm doing?" Aura continued to mumble sullenly.

"It _looks_ like you don't know how to board a train." Moonstone wasn't sure if jokes helped in this sort of situation, but it was worth a shot. Besides, different people react in different ways, it was a shot in the dark.

Aura Quartz smiled and let out a chuckle. "Hmph. I wasn't boarding just any train. I was boarding a train out of here."

"You need a spaceship for that," Moonstone said quietly.

"Don't play dumb!" Aura suddenly shouted. "I was taking a train to the land of Gods if such a thing exists. You wouldn't understand, you haven't had your world rip apart at the seams like mine!"

"Try me." Moonstone nudged Aura and lightly smiled, although she hated talking about her past.

Aura Quartz perked up and finally looked at Moonstone. "If you're so experienced, then what is your advice?" She looked down again. "It's okay if you don't have any, I know how complicated this stuff is. Sorry." Her voice quieted.

"Well first, I need to know why you want to board this train in the first place," Moonstone said.

"Do I have to?" Aura whined.

"No, whatever's comfortable." Moonstone gave a patient smile.

Aura Quartz couldn't turn down help, as much as she wanted to run from everything. She wanted to board the train so that she could run, so that she could go the farthest away from all of her problems. Just thoughts about why she wanted to shatter made her cry. "Okay, here goes...After the death of my Diamond, I was transferred to White Diamond's faction. During my time in Blue faction, I heard rumors of a subculture of Gems...runaways, if you will. There was a small guild of runaway or cast out Gems on Naboo, near Gungan City. I did some research on my free time and their guild...I can't describe it...I had the same beliefs as them. I even talked to some through my screen, and I befriended a young member."

"Wait, there is a guild of Gems on Naboo?"

"Supposedly, I knew I couldn't be sure, but they seemed to know what they were talking about, and their stories felt valid, like I was talking to other Gems. Besides, who else would think to wire their devices to hack into Homeworld screens? Anyway, I knew I couldn't join the runaways since I had my identity as a Quartz to look forward to. Well, that's not entirely true, as much as I wanted to fulfill my purpose, I couldn't. I was too squeamish, too nice to be a real Quartz. I told a few of my closest friends about my feelings, and the runaways, and I trusted them too...they told me it was wrong, so I decided to try to suppress it. I felt like they would never mention it to my superiors...and I disconnected with the runaway member almost suddenly."

Moonstone tilted her head. "They betrayed you, didn't they?"

"A few weeks later, things felt different. I know I don't have future vision, but I had a feeling in my gut that I had to be on guard. Maybe it was the stress of my first real job, working with Citrine in the corruption lab. After I screwed that job up, my manager saw it as one screw-up, but after that corrupted Gem ended up helping in the murder of Blue Diamond, White Diamond saw it as my fault."

"And it wasn't," Moonstone added.

"Could you quit interrupting me? Of course, it wasn't my fault! I mean, at least I think so...Then she searched through my screen, my friends ratted me out, I was yelled at and tortured...then I was thrown out. I would have tried to get to Naboo, but I lost interest. I didn't want to be wrong, but being right didn't feel like me. It just came so suddenly, and now I don't see the point in doing anything. I can't be right, I can't be wrong, I can't be anyone. If I can't be anyone, then I can't exist."

"All I'm hearing is 'I can't', even though the Diamonds nor the other Gems have no say in who you are or who you're supposed to be," Moonstone said.

"I knew of the hardships of being defective, but I thought it would be worth it. After talking to others, I had hope...I was going to be happy," More tears flowed from Aura's eyes. "I was going to meet a pretty Gem...and we were going to fuse for love. I've always wanted to do that. Back before White Diamond hurt me, I knew it would all be worth it. I lived knowing there was light at the end of the tunnel...but now, I'm not so sure. I'm afraid to be wrong...I'm trapped in a corner, and the only way to escape is to die."

The more Aura Quartz talked, the more she felt empowered to go at it again. Moonstone was taking a while to process...maybe she would let her go now that she knows the story. At least, that's what Aura hoped.

"Those hopes are still there, you know. They never disappeared, they just went out of view for a little while, like, a boulder covered the exit to the tunnel for a bit. What hope really is is braving the darkness in order to get to the end of the tunnel and move the boulder out of the way." Moonstone grinned.

Aura was instantly stunned by her response.

"If you need some time to think about who you are, if you think you need a change, go right ahead. What I've learned, is that you don't necessarily have to die in order to be happy. Sometimes you just need to change it up, you know? Shed your skin, like a snake. Maybe what you need isn't death, but maybe you need those traumatic thoughts to die, so then you can go back to being hopeful again. The transition is scary, yeah, like heck it is, but it's worth it, even if the recovery is slow." Moonstone explained. _I hope I'm doing this right._ She thought.

Moonstone suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder, a wet, exhausted weight.

"You really must be experienced." Aura Quartz said quietly.

"I'm going to take you home with me, okay?" Moonstone said, her voice quiet as well. Aura Quartz was way heavier than Moonstone, but Aura wrapped her arms around Moonstone tightly as she gave her a piggyback ride off the bridge and back to base.

"Heh...I don't want to let go..." Aura Quartz whispered breathlessly before falling into a deep sleep on Moonstone's shoulders. It was the first time Aura had ever hugged someone in a very long time.

* * *

Aura Quartz blinked her eyes open, only to realize she was in a strange room made of stone, like a prison cell. She sat up in panic.

"You imprisoned me?" She asked loudly.

"Non, non, non. Calm down, this is where ol' Moonie lives...well, I guess we live here too..." Black Pearl was leaned against the doorway in grey harem pants and a sleeveless navy blue top. She pulled a black flask with a rat skull imprinted on it and pressed it against her lips.

"Who're you? Where's Moonstone?" Aura Quartz asked.

"I'm Jet, pleasure to meet ya. I'm one of Moonstone's friends. I'm supposed to keep watch and stop you in case you get up and try to go at the train track again." Black Pearl was still rather uncomfortable using her real name around new people, she was surprised she had given it away to Moonstone and her outfit so easily.

"Oh. Is she going to be back anytime soon?" Aura asked.

"Yeah, she's at the market with Fire Opal." Black Pearl looked away from Aura and down the hallway. "Hmph, everyone wants to see Moonstone...I guess I've fallen into her trap too. She even gave you your own room, isn't that sweet? Oh, and look at that, I get to hear your hysterical sobs right across from my room."

"What? I don't hysterically sob! Quartzes don't cry, you should know that...whatever the heck you are!" Aura Quartz shouted defensively.

"Right...Moonstone told me you cried your eyes out last night, Aura Quartz." Black Pearl chuckled.

Aura crossed her arms in an upset huff. "What exactly are you guys, anyway?"

"I'm not sure what Rho calls us, I guess we're just...us? The Just Us League? I'm sure Rho'll give us a swanky name eventually." Black Pearl said.

Aura Quartz's eyes widened as she remembered the name Rho...she remembered it like it was yesterday. _"Enough with this beast business, just call me Rho,"_

"Rho..." Aura said breathlessly. "Where is she?" Aura Quartz jumped out of bed.

"Whoa, she's in the main room playing Tic Tac Toe with Gaspeite. Moonstone said that fighting wasn't allowed, so they're having a Tic Tac Toe to the death...It sounds hilarious, too bad I'm missing it." Black Pearl explained before chuckling.

"Out of my way!" Aura Quartz shoved Black Pearl against the wall as she ran down the hallway to the main room.

Black Pearl hated her small, easily pushed around form, but knew it was part of being a Pearl. She ran after Aura Quartz. "Hey, wait up! I'm supposed to watch you!"

Rhodonite and Gaspeite were in the middle of an intense game of Tic Tac Toe, as Blackie explained. Both Gems' faces had weird expression mixes of concentration and a glare since they were too busy trying to do both looks to their opponents at once.

"I summon... an X!" Gaspeite shouted as though her move were a magical attack. She drew an X in the sand.

"I'm pretty sure that's not how it works, Gaspeite," Rhodonite said.

"What do you know, Cluster?" Gaspeite growled.

"Many things, especially since this is an Earth game." Rhodonite crossed her arms smugly.

"Why you little-"

"Rho!" Aura Quartz called as she sprinted towards Rhodonite.

Rhodonite perked up but was tackled to the ground by Aura Quartz before she could say anything.

Gaspeite cackled. "Looks like someone likes you! Either that or you have a bone to pick with this one too!"

"Aura Quartz?" Rhodonite asked as Aura stared into her eyes, heavily breathing on top of her.

Aura Quartz forced her eyes closed and shook her head. "I'm not sure whether I should kill you or thank you!" She shouted.

"How about...thank me? I don't know, this is all very confusing." Rhodonite said.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Gaspeite chanted. "Fight her for me so we don't have to play this infernal Earth game!"

Black Pearl ran into the room a few seconds later. "Ting!" She shouted sternly. Rhodonite didn't understand what it meant and assumed it was ancient Gem language.

Aura Quartz looked back at Black Pearl, then got off of Rhodonite, who sighed in relief.

"If we're not allowed to fight, neither are you, Aura Quartz." Black Pearl said, approaching the three Gems calmly, her voice still stern.

"You're so pretty when you enforce the rules, Blackie!" Gaspeite shouted, instantly lovesick.

"Wait, does that mean you'd fight me if the rule wasn't there?" Rhodonite asked. Black Pearl flashed a devilish smile at her. "Great..." Rhodonite muttered.

Aura calmed down and turned to Rhodonite. "Sorry about that...Look at me, resorting to scapegoats just like White Diamond..."

Rhodonite was confused by it all, but then remembered her meeting with her in the corruption lab.

"I didn't expect to see you here." Aura Quartz said.

"I didn't expect to see you here either...I didn't expect you to attempt suicide, too." Rhodonite replied.

"Mind if I ask? What exactly are you guys?" Aura Quartz asked, trying to change the subject.

"We're Diamond Stamp of Disapproval Defects! Heh, wanna join us?" Gaspeite shouted before Rhodonite could speak.

Black Pearl nudged Gaspeite, almost knocking her over.

"Oh come on! I even fall to the touch of a-" Black Pearl covered Gaspeite's mouth before she could finish.

"We're..." Rhodonite took a minute to think of Rose Quartz, the Gem she idolized for two lives...she thought of her movement for Earth, to protect every living creature and to stop ruthless Diamond colonization. She decided to adopt her name, the name she had given for those who served in the last Gem War. "We are the Crystal Gems!" Rhodonite shouted, pumping her fist triumphantly into the air.

"Crystal Gems? Great...those guys. Sure, whatever you say." Black Pearl said.

"C-Crystal Gems? Meaning, you aren't of the Diamonds?" Aura Quartz asked.

"Does it look like we're of the Diamonds?" Gaspeite said before getting nudged again by Black Pearl.

"No, does that mean, you guys are like...runaways?" Aura asked, looking at the three Gems with starry eyes.

"Yeah, I guess!" Rhodonite gave Aura a patient smile.

"Ah! I have so many questions!" Aura Quartz shouted excitedly.

"Great, we don't have a lot of answers," Gaspeite said. Before Black Pearl could elbow the little green Gem, the whirring of a speeder slowing to a stop outside. Fire Opal and Moonstone entered the temple carrying paper bags while both wearing long, black, hooded cloaks to hide.

"We're back!" Moonstone sang, holding up the bag she was carrying in her right hand.

"And we're ready to train." Fire Opal set down her bags just to slam her fist into her palm. Gaspeite swallowed her own saliva nervously. Fire Opal noticed this and reached into one of the bags. "Ah, Gaspeite. Don't think we forgot you." She tossed a glass bottle of dark green liquid to her, and she fumbled with it for a few seconds before getting a good grip on it.

"Liquor? Thanks!" Gaspeite smiled.

"No, not that. Healing tonic, so then you and I can have a real fight." Fire Opal said.

"Oh."

"I see Aura is up. How are you feeling?" Moonstone asked.

"Better." Aura Quartz replied. "But I know it'll take a while to truly be... _better._ You know?"

Moonstone smiled and nodded. "Yes, but we'll help you every step of the way."

"And maybe you'll prove useful to _us_ as well." Black Pearl muttered to herself.

* * *

 _ **Not all Pearls are weak and not all Quartzes are strong.**_

 **Two new characters to explore at once, whoopee. Also, this is about as large as their army is gonna get, so thank goodness. I always wanted to have Aura Quartz be a part of this army, and I always wanted her to be saved by Moonstone. Not only does this story explore Rhodonite and everyone else, but I also feel like it highlights how Moonstone goes from a villain to a maternal figure who saves everyone.**

 **This seems like the perfect timing to post this as well, especially because of my last update. I got the nicest review from someone today regarding that update...but it was anonymous. Apparently you are an avid reader of this story, so I'm going to ask personally...Who are you? Because that was one of the best if not the best review I have received so far. I never thought people saw my work that way...I really don't know what to say but...Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.**

 **I guess you could also say this is my way of announcing...I'M NOT GIVING UP! I'm going to write to the end like I'm supposed to. If it sucks, well, there's always next time. I'm going to confront my angst through this, and hopefully, I'll come out stronger...as a person and as a writer. Thank you all for your patience.**

 **This story is made of more than just love.**

 **REVIEWS ARE ENCOURAGED AS ALWAYS!**


	46. Scoundrels in Mos Eisley

Fire Opal hated Tatooine.

It was hot, dry, unsanitary, overcrowded, and the crime levels were at an all-time high. Just thinking of all the bounties she could earn made her high on greed, yet she was fearful of disobeying her Diamonds' orders. She was assigned to bring back a black Gem, a rogue Pearl. Not because White Diamond wanted her back, no, she just had a high price on her Gem. The stories Fire Opal had heard of the rogue made her want to throw up. Burnt villages, entire family names wiped out, and many a gruesome bar fight. And for that, Fire Opal weaved through the clusters of alien crowds in the streets of Mos Eisley, scanning with her screen for the Gem who always slipped out of sight. She spent the whole day searching before deciding it was high-time for a drink at the cantina, also full of criminals of the most heinous sort. There was an assortment of mostly rugged alien men from all over the Galaxy. It was a pleasant looking social atmosphere, though. There was a coziness about it, yet a dangerous edge. Fire Opal strolled through the aisles of tables, some aliens hiding their faces whilst others catcalled. She stopped at the central bar. Fire Opal slid into her seat and ordered whiskey, but not too much. She had to be on guard. Once the shot glass was slid towards her, a voice, louder and closer than all the overlapping conversations spoke to her. "You're peculiar."

Fire Opal turned to the figure, a woman with her face veiled by a black hooded cloak. "You seem more peculiar than I." Fire Opal replied.

"Hmph. I'm just saying it's strange to find a Homeworld soldier in a place like this." The figure said. "So, Yellow Diamond? White Diamond? Who is it?"

"I'll have you know I work for the Militia of Flames, Homeworld's greatest army. I take jobs from all of them." Fire Opal replied proudly, her hand on her chest.

"Sheesh. Okay." The figure said. Fire Opal tried to peer behind the cloak, only to see a black Gem sparkle just a touch under a couple layers of sheer cloth on her chest, meant to cover it up.

Fire Opal squinted at the figure's chest. "So, who do you belong to?"

The figure chuckled, almost nervously. "Listen here, this ain't Homeworld. Out here, I don't belong to anybody."

"Your Gem says otherwise. Who are you?" Fire Opal leaned in closer, and the figure leaned in as well, not stepping back from a challenge.

"Jet."

"Who are you really?"

"Your worst nightmare if you ask any more questions."

"Since when were you the one in control?"

"When I left your garbage planet."

"Don't say you left on your free will. Everyone knows you were cast out by White Diamond."

The figure, Jet, growled, rolling up her lips to reveal her bared teeth. She pulled down her hood violently to reveal her obsidian hair, ashen skin, and cold expression. She drew a long, black spear and whipped it around, almost as a warning for evacuation in the cantina. Despite the warning, the patrons turned in their chairs to watch the good old fashioned bar fight. The band even played a more deviously jazzy tune to reinforce Jet's rhythm. "Last warning." Jet said.

"Please. You're nothing." Fire Opal slammed her fist into her palm and a few sparks flew into the air.

"Now you're just being stupid. Why would you want to burn the cantina down?" Jet grinned.

Fire Opal growled and pulled her hands apart. Instead, she wielded a Gem destabilizer and flicked it on with a quick movement of her thumb. It sparked and flickered to electric life. Jet didn't seem fazed by this, she just twirled her spear as an invitation to fight. Fire Opal charged Jet with the destabilizer, but Jet leaped and landed on Fire Opal's shoulder like a bird would its perch. Jet kicked Fire Opal with her slippered foot and scratched her face with the tip of her spear before Fire Opal knocked her off. Jet landed gracefully behind her, certain that she would be discombobulated. However, a Homeworld soldier like Fire Opal wasn't some mindless Quartz. She saw it as an opportunity to stab Jet in the back with her Gem destabilizer, all in one swift movement. Jet grunted in agony and hunched over, her body faded as she was about to poof. She turned to face her opponent, who was grinning already at the thought of the bounty she had just earned.

"How dishonorable. Stabbing your opponent in the back." Jet grunted.

"How dishonorable, hanging entire families from power lines." Fire Opal parroted Jet's words back at her.

"Clever girl. But with every great hero..." Jet pulled a switch from her Gem, pressed it, and threw it in Fire Opal's direction. "There's an even smarter villain." She smiled devilishly before running out the door. The cantina exploded in a fiery inferno before Fire Opal even knew what happened. Once she regenerated three days later and searched through the carnage for Jet, she realized that she had escaped.

"Scoundrel." Fire Opal muttered as she turned to head back to her ship on the outskirts of Tattooine.

* * *

 ***Megalomania.**

 **UGH HOW SHORT**

 **Aaaaaaah can I just say something about last night's episode? I did not see that coming. I really didn't expect the world to end that fast. I figured I would have more time to cram some character development episodes of Broken Together before Rho goes back to Earth to help out...Gaaaaah I feel so hurried. Screw character development let's fight the Cluster and the Diamonds**

 **I didn't get the chance to watch Gem Drill, but Super Watermelon Island was superb as always. It was like Godzilla versus whoever the screenwriters came up with next. Steven's dreams are very interesting, and the whole watermelon thing was a very good way to see that fight. Also, Alexandrite's fighting style really put fusion into perspective for me, especially since this next chapter is going to be all about fusion! And seriously have some buildup first before you start the apocalypse I mean that ending was sudden**

 **Fire Opal and Black Pearl have actually fought before...but Jet, being the clever girl she is, rigged the cantina with explosives so then witnesses couldn't get away and tell their friends. Smooth.**

 **REVIEWS (and Critiques) ARE ENCOURAGED!**


	47. Pas De Deux

"Well, what should we do? I have received rumors that the Cluster has been somehow delayed from its formation! I mean, how can that thing not form? It can't stop, and it's too big to be bubbled..." Yellow Diamond paced across the throne room like a caged animal, her shoes clicking and clacking on the floor. She was ranting to White Diamond, who was laying seductively on her stomach on her throne of bones. She wore a long white dress and a large gold necklace with three lapis lazulis embedded in gold on the end.

"Or is it?" White Diamond asked, her tone smooth and low. She propped her chin up with her hand, which was propped on the armrest of her chair.

"Of course, it is! And now the Militia of Flames is almost completely wiped out by Fire Opal! That bastard!" Yellow Diamond shouted, throwing her arms up in the air. "I say we go and slaughter them all, so then I can focus all my attention back to Earth."

"Now, now. Let's give them their victory. Life is a beautiful lie, let's let them live it a little longer. I want to see them run to us with stars broadcasted on their chests only to watch us crush them. Now wouldn't that be fun? We can do it together. You know, _fuse._ " White Diamond voice said seductively.

Yellow Diamond stopped in her tracks, wrinkled her nose and widened her eyes, her signature angry face. " _Fuse?_ " Okay, maybe it was more of a face of bewilderment.

"You're so cute when you make that face. Come on, it'll be fun. I miss being Brown Diamond. We haven't seen her since we were young." White Diamond said. Yellow Diamond remembered back when they were younger Gems, still small, yet they had to rule. It was their destiny, it was their main lust, to conquer this world and all others. However, Yellow and White still had their follies.

"I do wonder how she'll look now that we're grown." Yellow Diamond gave in to White's pleas.

"There she is! We'll wipe out every trace of nonconformity...and look fabulous while doing it. Maybe afterwards we can take her for a spin on that pesky planet of yours, Earth. Wake that Cluster up, haha!" White Diamond smiled.

"You drive a hard bargain, but we evacuate the people today. Is the shelter ready?" Yellow Diamond asked.

"Yes, and if we run out of room, we may have to put them in the corruption facility for a bit, but I'm sure whoever has to go in there will be fine." White Diamond shrugged.

"So it's a plan." Yellow Diamond crossed her arms, feeling proud, yet relieved.

"Yep, I can't wait to dance with you again." White Diamond smiled devilishly.

* * *

Fire Opal was crouching just outside the trench, watching from behind one of the support beams for the train bridge. There was a large crowd of Gems of all shapes and sizes walking towards the Diamond Palace. The nearby warp pads and spaceship landing zones were heavily guarded to prevent evacuation. Fire Opal squinted, trying to naturally zoom in, before turning to go back to the Temple Base with all the intelligence she had received from watching the streets since early hours. Once into the trench, she entered the Temple, only to find an anxiously anticipating Aura Quartz, Gaspeite sleeping on the floor, and Moonstone and Rhodonite drawing in the sand. Black Pearl was the only one doing a form of training. Her fists were wrapped in tape and she was punching the wall. "Why aren't you all training? The Diamonds are evacuating people today, meaning we could battle any day now!" Fire Opal barked.

Gaspeite sat up and rubbed her eyes. "We'd be ready to train if you'd just let us sleep a little later."

"They're evacuating today? This is going by quicker than I thought..." Moonstone said to herself.

"What? You thought we had more time to sit around? Sleep a little? Nah, this is happening now. Today, we move to the one thing we need to know how to do." Fire Opal said.

Black Pearl gave the wall one final punch and muttered to herself. "Oh gold."

"You don't mean-" Aura jumped up.

"Yep. Fusion. It's required for the course. You want to get those credits, don't ya?" Fire Opal crossed her arms smugly.

"What?" Moonstone tilted her head in confusion.

"Nevermind. I forgot this isn't like my old training class, hehe. And Cluster, since you can't fuse, you can watch and judge us." Fire Opal explained. "Now who's going first?"

"Not me," Rhodonite said.

"That was redundant. Everyone knows you can't." Black Pearl said quietly and gruffly, walking up to the rest of the group.

"Jet! You'll go first!" Fire Opal shouted and smiled.

"Did you not just hear her grumble about this whole thing a few seconds ago?" Moonstone mumbled.

"And who to pair her with...Let's see..." Fire Opal scanned the group of tired Gems.

 _Please be Moonstone, Please be Moonstone!_ Black Pearl thought to herself, but she quickly denied it. _No! Fusing with anyone is not desirable!_

"Aura Quartz! Let's see how good you do!" Fire Opal pointed a long, fiery finger at Aura, who flinched at her name.

"Oh gold." Black Pearl sauntered up to Aura, then backed up a few large paces. Moonstone, Gaspeite, Rhodonite and Fire Opal stepped back to give them space.

Black Pearl and Aura Quartz eyeballed each other for a bit, although Blackie was the first person Aura had seen of Rhodonite's outfit besides Moonstone. Black Pearl looked annoyed, but occasionally her scowl would falter to show something that Aura Quartz knew well. Fear. She tried to help ease Blackie's anxiety. Aura shrugged and gave her a patient smile. "This should be fun."

"Apparently you've never done this before." Black Pearl growled. "Let's get this over with." The two Gems bowed respectively to each other, and Black Pearl was not entirely sure what to do next. The last time she fused, when she fused with her, the other Gem took control. She was the other half, the puppet of a ballerina. Aura Quartz, who preferred ballet as well, brise'd towards Black Pearl, who twirled into her embrace gracefully. Once Aura Quartz' hands lightly touched Black Pearl's shoulder, Blackie kicked off of Aura's knee and twirled away. While Aura caught her bearings, Black Pearl repeatedly fouette'd. In the background, she could faintly hear Gaspeite's laughter that happened ever since Blackie kicked Aura in the knee.

"Jet!" Aura called before covering her mouth. "Sorry, if we're not supposed to talk." Black Pearl turned to face Aura, still standing en pointe. She frowned, then started to sprint to Aura Quartz, much to her surprise. She did a few cartwheels before jumping into Aura's arms. Aura lifted up the surprisingly light Gem into the air, and it was the most professional looking part of that whole dance, even if the pose lasted for only a few seconds. Aura had held Black Pearl by the center of her back, and Black Pearl obediently posed so that her arms flared out, her left leg bent, the knee only a few inches from her chest. She kept her toes pointed. Aura Quartz looked up at her elegant dance partner, smiled, then pulled her back down into a fish dive lift before throwing her into the air. Black Pearl did a few flips, both her and Aura's Gems glowing before she landed in Aura's arms. Together they formed their fusion at last and the minute Aura Quartz caught her, they both knew who they now were, and their name, which came to them like a word that was on the tips of their tongues all their lives.

The rest of the team's eyes widened as the Quartz and Pearl formed a fairly tall fusion with an elegant and agile, yet muscular body shape. The fusion's four, jet black arms were quick and methodical with every movement they made. However, the fusion's skin had a technicolor iridescence to it, much like her three eyes. Her clothes were also multiple neon colors, mostly bright green, pink, blue and purple. The fusion inherited Aura's long, poofy hair, which was black with glittering streaks of the same neon colors with hints of gold on the ends. Fire Opal leaned forward as though waiting for something, but it never came. The Gem fusion just stood there. "What's happening? We should be seeing a weapon." Fire Opal whispered to Moonstone.

"Give her a minute. This is a first for Aura...and it is certainly something for Jet. Give them time to think." Moonstone whispered.

"What could they possibly be thinking about?" Fire Opal muttered to herself before resting her chin on her palm.

* * *

"Oof!" Aura Quartz woke up inside the fusion. A black room with multicolored swirls on the floor, which felt like jello. "We did it! Jet, we did it!" Aura Quartz smiled and looked over to Black Pearl, who was on her hands and knees, panting. "Jet? Did you land hard? Was I too rough?" Aura Quartz scooted over to her.

"It's fine." Black Pearl said, not even looking up at Aura.

"This isn't as bad as you thought, was it?" Aura asked quietly.

"What?"

"It's just," Aura adjusted her seating position. "You seemed so nervous, and angry too."

"Nervous? No. Angry? Get used to it." Black Pearl grunted.

"Oh...Well, we better do something. Prove our strength." Aura Quartz said. She and Black Pearl focused on summoning their weapons...

* * *

On the outside, the fusion got into a dramatic battle pose and summoned each Gem's weapon. Black Pearl's obsidian spear and Aura's silver boomerang. She combined the two into a double-bladed sword, which she threw in the style of a frisbee, and it whirled back into her hands, like a boomerang.

"Cool!" Gaspeite had starry eyes. "Can I fuse with Blackie next?"

"Moonstone, come here. Let's spar with them." Fire Opal got up, stretched and sauntered over to an empty space near the left wall. Moonstone followed. Fire Opal started shaking her hips quickly and rhythmically, almost like a rumba or samba, waving her arms to make circles of flames, which Rhodonite found flamboyant. Moonstone mimicked Black Pearl's ballet, and unlike their dance, Moonstone and Fire Opal's was quick. They formed a large orange Gem with the same iridescence in her skin and clothes as Fire Opal and the Aura/Blackie fusion, but this sparkle was golden, like a sunrise. Her hair was back in a braid similar to Fire Opal's, but she didn't waste time marveling at her appearance. She summoned Moonstone's bo staff, and flames ignited on the ends. She twirled the flaming staff, the fire making loud whooshing noises as it moved, before jabbing it into the aloof fusion of Aura and Black Pearl.

"Spessartite Garnet," Rhodonite whispered the name of Fire Opal and Moonstone's fusion. "Incredible." She hadn't seen a fusion as powerful as these since the Gem War. However, she couldn't stop her face from reddening at Moonstone's dancing. She longed to fuse with her, but knew she couldn't. So she watched like a bird unable to fly.

As the fiery staff stabbed into the other fusion, Aura Quartz was knocked into something she wasn't meant to see. At least, Black Pearl didn't want to let her in. She was knocked out inside, if only for a brief instant. Black Pearl was left to spar with Spessartite Garnet alone from inside the fusion. "Aura! Get up! Now is not the time to be sleeping! We need to prove our strength to that stupid militiawoman." Black Pearl growled, but Aura couldn't hear her. She was in a flashback, a memory, but she wasn't sure whose eyes she was looking through.

It was White Diamond's court. Aura Quartz remembered the horrible memories she experienced in that part of the palace. _Is this one of my memories? Why am I having this now?_ The flashback continued when a sharp, harsh voice called, "Pearl! Come in at once!"

 _White Diamond. Wait, Pearl?_ It was almost like watching a movie. The person she was watching from moved reluctantly through the tall, grand doors of carved ivory with designs of dragons and great fusions, their head down, hands tight to their sides. When they looked down, Aura noticed a black leotard and ashen skin tone that was familiar to her. _Jet._ Once in the grand room with marble floors and great pillars, assorted weapons and heads of powerful intergalactic beasts mounted on the wall, which happened to be White Diamond's specific throne room, Jet looked up to face the lavish figure, sitting on another throne of bones, furs, and shattered Gems. Once she got close enough, White seized her limp, weak arm by the wrist, her long fingernails digging into her skin to send a pinching sensation up her arm, and pulled her close so that there was no way to not meet eyes. White smiled menacingly. "You'll never guess what I tried with my sisters today."

Jet bared her teeth to hide her fear and glared at her Diamond.

"Brave, a trait of a defective Pearl. Let's see if you're brave enough to do this." White Diamond smiled. Jet's thoughts took over Aura's, echoing through her mind as though she were taking over as narrator. _This is unusual. Very unusual._ White Diamond stood up from her throne and dragged Jet into the middle of the room, then looked down at her. "Such a delicate little ballerina. A frail little flower. Dance for me." She twirled Jet and pulled her in, their Gems involuntarily glowing until everything went black. No consent, no choice, not even the freedom to really speak. Once fused, Jet felt trapped for only a few minutes, but she couldn't pull away. It was like their Gems were stuck together. All that echoed now was a voice, a young, pleading voice. "Let me out!"

Aura Quartz woke up in the heat of the spar, repeating the words that she had just heard. "Let me out!"

Jet, before she could screech at her for not helping, couldn't help but remember those words. She blinked and the moment flashed in her vision for a few seconds before the two unfused, landing on the sandy floor in front of Spessartite Garnet. Aura Quartz had a headache. She had no idea that sharing one form meant sharing one mind too...especially Black Pearl's mind, of all people. Black Pearl, on the other hand, seemed okay. Although Aura didn't necessarily cooperate, there was something about her. When they fused, there was a certain comfort in her arms. She had no idea that fusion could be that comfortable, that safe and caring, it was a feeling of never being alone, a feeling of having someone stand beside you through everything. Blackie always thought fusion meant being trapped, being stuck together with someone. She pitied Rhodonite for being that way forever, hearing voices, seeing memories and never being able to grasp them and feel those moments again, or at least, not as you. This time, she wanted to do it again. She wanted to be with Aura again. It wasn't a lust, a thick, passionate desire, more like a comforting daydream.

"Jet!" Aura Quartz panted and crawled towards her, who was taking a minute to rest.

"What is it? Are you going to tell me 'We did it' again? Yeah, I know. You also made us stop in the middle of a spar." Black Pearl growled.

"You know, you two would be good together if you would stop lolly-gagging and actually fight!" Spessartite Garnet said, her tone passive-aggressive. Made sense, Moonstone was passive, and Fire Opal was aggressive.

"Sorry." Aura Quartz held her head low.

"Alrighty, since now we know what _not_ to do, who's next?" Spessartite Garnet put her four arms on her hips.

* * *

 _I'm not one for fusion dances,_

 _No, I don't like fancy-_ schmanse _,_

 _But your movements put me in trances,_

 _Dreaming of future romances!_

 _I don't know what happened,_

 _No, I'm not sure what went wrong,_

 _I'm supposed to be independent, strong,_

 _Now I'm in so deep I'm writing you a song!_

 _Ugh, why I am still writing poetry?_

 _I shouldn't want our relationship to be,_

 _I don't know what's happening to me!_

 _But Aura Quartz, when I look into your eyes,_

 _I'm transported to a distant planet with blue skies,_

 _A place where greed does not cause all life to die,_

 _Together, we sit upon a grassy hill looking at a beautiful sunrise,_

 _You and I._

 _Is this what attraction feels like?_

 _If so, I would hike,_

 _A million miles to find who made me feel this way,_

 _For this feeling makes life feel a lot less gray._

 _No, I must hide it,_

 _To this revolution, I must commit,_

 _If not, all my hopes and dreams could be tossed down a pit!_

 _So, Aura Quartz, when it comes to attraction, I must quit._

 _*sigh*_

* * *

 **And a random sketch I wrote in the car because I felt like it fit:**

* * *

It was pitch black in the Temple Base. All of Rhodonite's crew was asleep, except for Moonstone, who made rounds every few hours. Little did anyone know, the mischievous Gaspeite was awake as well, and she had found her way to Black Pearl's room.

"Blackie, Blackie, Blackie!" Gaspeite jumped on Black Pearl excitedly, like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Uuuugh...what is it?" Blackie moaned.

"You wanna pull a prank?" Gaspeite asked in a sing-song way.

"At this time of night? What are you thinking?" Blackie asked.

"You have to get up to find out!" Gaspeite whisper-yelled and scuttled off into the dark.

"Oh geez, I'm gonna regret this..." Blackie groaned as she stood up, cracked her back, knuckles, and neck and followed Gaspeite.

They met in the main room near the entryway, where the walls were decorated with prophetic murals that Moonstone and Rhodonite loved to look at and the floors also bore mosaics of the same caliber. Blackie couldn't tell by the dark, but Gaspeite had a mischievous smirk on her face. Gaspeite couldn't tell that Black Pearl's usually tied up hair billowed over her shoulders messily. "What is this prank you speak of?" Black Pearl asked.

"We're going to jump-scare Moonstone during her rounds!" Gaspeite replied.

"That's not exactly the crime of the century...I've been responsible for those 4 times in a row." Black Pearl said.

"But it's still gonna be hilarious!" Gaspeite whisper-shouted.

"Why do you need me?" Blackie asked.

"We're gonna fuse. Come on. We need to be big and scary for this." Gaspeite said.

"So much for only fusing in deadly situations," Blackie muttered. "Besides, you don't need to be big to be scary."

The two Gems bowed to each other, even though Gaspeite was never much for formalities when fusing. Black Pearl always hated her natural love and aptitude for ballet, and Gaspeite just didn't like looking bad with her sloppy breakdancing. Gaspeite decided to mimic Blackie's ballet by twirling into her embrace. However, the experience isn't quite the same when you are only up to your fusion partner's waist. Black Pearl grabbed Gaspeite by the wrist and lifted her so that they made eye contact.

"Why do you have to be so short?" Black Pearl snarled before flinging Gaspeite into the air.

"Why do you have to throw me?" Gaspeite shouted before landing into Blackie's arms and getting into a tangled white blob, forming the fusion, Emerald. Before landing, Gaspeite shouted, "You're a piece of schist!"

Emerald rubbed her head, mostly from Gaspeite's fall, which was a little rough. The fusion had dark green skin, short black hair that was kept in a messy undercut, yellow snake-like eyes, plump lips which hid sharp fangs, sharper than Rhodonite's. Emerald was tall, surprisingly muscular, and was the kind of fusion to have a deranged spider type look, especially with six arms and four eyes. She was wearing a black and green jumpsuit, which had no distinct Diamond or Star patterns due to both Gems lack of allegiance.

"Alright, what's the plan?" Emerald asked gruffly, in a tone that sounded much like Blackie, yet her voice was still different. It always sounded sarcastic or annoyed, yet it had a sort of gruesome humor to it.

"We're going to hide behind that statue over there, and wait for ol' Moonstone, come on!" The Gaspeite side of Emerald whisper-shouted then cackled quietly as it scurried over to a statue of what looked to be the goddess Sunstone, carved of jade. It was tall, and the figure was wearing a long, toga-like dress. The pedestal had a message written in Ancient Gem language. Emerald was able to read it due to Blackie's knowledge of the language. "May We Preserve The Great Light" It read.

Emerald hid in the shadows, giggling quietly yet mischievously, like a bunch of little girls talking about crushes at a sleepover. They were quietly waiting for seve ral minutes, the two Gems inside the fusion conversing in thoughts.

 _I hear we're going to have to add stars to our clothes._ Gaspeite said.

 _Ah, shoot, why? They had to choose the ugliest logo design._ Blackie scoffed.

 _I know right? Why couldn't we have like a skull or something?_ Gaspeite replied.

 _That's even uglier! I think we should have something cool like a flame, or a spade!_ Black Pearl argued.

 _A spade? Why a spade?_ Gaspeite asked.

 _If we're sticking to playing card designs a spade is the only thing cooler than diamonds._ Black Pearl replied.

 _Fair point. Oh, hang on, Moonstone's coming._ Gaspeite said as the fusion caught a glimpse of the light radiating from Moonstone's torch.

Moonstone was humming a song that Rhodonite taught her, which she learned from Steven before. "Life and Death and Love and Birth..." The melody rung.

She looked exhausted with dark bags under her eyes and hair that seemed to stand on end. To try to get Moonstone's attention, Emerald picked up a wayward pebble and dropped it on the jade pedestal, making an ominous clicking sound. Moonstone stopped in front of the statue, not noticing that the torchlight revealed Emerald crouching in the shadows with a demented and rather creepy looking facial expression. "Is anyone awake?" Moonstone asked, shining the torch out into the room in front of her, but never looking at the statue. Emerald reached out with her six, long, muscular hands and grabbed Moonstone's shoulders suddenly, clutching them tightly. "ROAR!" Emerald shouted to add effect. Moonstone screamed and drew her bo staff, only to realize it was all for nothing as Emerald unfused. Gaspeite fell onto the floor laughing, her legs pointing up like a dead waterbug. Black Pearl landed gracefully on her feet next to Moonstone. She chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder as Moonstone put away her staff.

"We got ya good." Black Pearl smiled.

* * *

 **FUSION, FUSION, FUSION!**

 **Personally, one of my favorite parts of Steven Universe. I really hope I could do it justice in this chapter. If not, well, that sucks...really bad. I first got the idea to pair Black Pearl and Aura Quartz together when I watched the original Fantasia for the first time since I was really young. I love watching Fantasia and Disney shorts for inspiration, and when I watched the part when "Dance of the Hours", played, I liked the way the hippos, crocs, elephants, and ostriches danced. It had a certain timelessness to it. I imagined Aura being the danseur, and Black Pearl as the graceful ballerina. The one scene I imagined clear in my head was when Aura lifted Blackie over her head, and it was meant to be grand and flamboyant. Aura Quartz and Black Pearl have a certain relationship after that. They're both completely traumatized by White Diamond in some way, but Black Pearl goes about it...much more tsundere than Aura Quartz. She doesn't want to be seen as weak or submissive, whereas Aura portrays herself as the helpless victim. Blackie just wants to prove that she's stronger than her past. And with that, I've been waiting for several months to compose this chapter.**

 **And yes, I wrote a song. I wasn't sure when I would insert it. It's almost like a Love's Lacrimosa...which I ended up titling it. After the fusing, Blackie can't seem to get Aura off her mind. Gah! Reminds me of when I had one of my first love interests, hehe (Too bad it was unrequited, a lot of songs I wrote were inspired off of my feelings then.)**

 **By the way, I never actually mentioned it, but Aura and Black Pearl's fusion is Mystic Quartz. :)**

 **Onto the other ones. Spessartite Garnet is one of my favorite fusion designs I have come up with besides Mystic Quartz and Benitoite (Howlite and Sodalite's fusion). I imagine her being curvy and strong, yet at the same time graceful and elegant. Also, her personality is passive-aggressive, obviously. As for Emerald, she's very much like Sugilite lol. Playful, mischievous, and scary as heck, oh, and did I mention cocky?**

 **OH MY GOSH! I just realized...the final battle is next! An action packed fight where the team faces off with Maw Sit Sit, Carnelian, Amazonite, and the notorious Brown Diamond...along with their pasts. Will Rhodonite, Moonstone, Jet, and the gang buckle under the pressure, or will all their pain be worth it? (I'm filled with determination, but it may take a while to complete.) DRAMA! ROMANCE! BLOODSHED! YOU CAN FIND IT ALL IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

 **About Gem Drill and Same Old World, I loved them both. The way they portrayed the Cluster was incredibly interesting, and I did take notes for a certain scene in the next chapter. The music was gorgeous as always, I might add, and so were the backgrounds. Another thing I'd like to add is the little bit of character development in Peridot while in the drill. (Howlite relates, Peridot.) As for Same Old World, I mostly enjoyed Lapis saying more than a few lines and SMILING! Lapis and Peridot are currently tied right now for my second favorite character. Peridot is hilarious and relatable, but Lapis is tragic, elegant, beautiful...and by beautiful I mean beautifully drawn and constructed. Her character is gorgeously tragic, and the way she is drawn feels different from all the other characters. It's like she's drawn to look like a fallen angel, and I like her design the best. From her wings to her hair to her body and clothes...URGH! I LOVE HER! I am very happy to see her again.**

 **What do you guys think of this chapter? And what do you expect from the chapter to come?**

 **(Also that geology pun in the Emerald sketch tho)**

 **Fusion Dance Themes in Order of Appearance:**

 **Brown Diamond (YellowxWhite): Collusion: Aivi and Surrashu. (Also Malachite's fusion theme but that's the best theme for the job.)**

 **Mystic Quartz: Chopin Ballade No.1 in G Minor, Op. 23**

 **Spessartite Garnet: Cavern Tango: Aivi Tran. (I also really like Enticement and K.K. Crossing by Aivi and Surrashu.)**

 **Emerald: Amalgam (From Undertale): Toby Fox. (Spider Dance is also a good substitute.)**


	48. Apotheosis

**The morning sun, one that is not of the Milky Way, shines through the temple.**

 **It seems our heroes' journey is finally over,**

 **After all this time, you realize that the sun in this galaxy is not too different from your own.**

 **You're filled...WITH DETERMINATION.**

* * *

"Welp, it's been a real slice," Gaspeite said as the small group of Gems looked up at the Diamond Palace, which seemed much larger than it ever was before. That's what intimidation does, it makes what might be small seem big and unstoppable. The Gems had woken up late. Fire Opal decided that a peaceful sleep would be a good satisfying wish to a dying Gem. Maybe that's just a poor excuse for procrastinating. The team was silent for most of that morning, just like the entire planet. As they strapped on weapons that they stole methodically from the Black Market over time, each Gem looked at each other dismally. Moonstone turned to Rhodonite, Black Pearl turned to Aura Quartz, Gaspeite turned to Black Pearl, who then turned to Moonstone, then Fire Opal, then the team all looked to Rhodonite. There was a heavy silence until they stood in front of the giant, grandeur palace of some sort of white material. Gaspeite had been the first one to speak that morning.

"That's a rather pessimistic attitude," Moonstone said, not looking away from the palace.

"Hey. If I spent my whole life with high expectations, I wouldn't have survived the way I have. It's better to have low expectations and be pleasantly surprised than to have high expectations and be disappointed, or better yet, dead." Gaspeite replied.

"We're not going to die today." Rhodonite couldn't help but lie. She knew there was no telling what could happen that day. The Diamonds were deities, and she knew it, but she couldn't lose hope. She couldn't lose determination. Not now, not ever. Rhodonite had worked too hard to get this far, and she was going to finish it. If not for herself, but for Moonstone, Black Pearl, Aura Quartz, and Gaspeite, and all they had been through.

Black Pearl chuckled, almost breathlessly. "Not with me around we're not. It's just a couple of Quartzes, Amazonite, some CyberCats, Maw Sit Sit and the most powerful Gems of all. Pfft. No biggie. I've fought worse." Black Pearl could suddenly feel a weight on her body and a warmth on her skin. It was Aura, hugging her, her face buried into her shoulder. "Oy, bugger off, will ya?" Black Pearl said, her voice breaking more and more, her lips quivering and eyes welling with tears. She couldn't hold it in anymore. None of them could. She was the only one dressed for battle in her full armor, clutching her spear in her right hand. Her weapons belt was slung loosely around her waist.

"I'm sorry. C-can you at least, promise me that you'll be with me if we go?" Aura Quartz asked quietly. Two Gem destabilizers were strapped to her waist.

Black Pearl sniffled but tried to keep her cool. "Sure, why not." Although she wanted to clutch onto the Quartz with all her might and never let go.

"Enough with the crying. We need to discuss the plan. It's simple. Divide and conquer. Rhodonite and Moonstone go find the Diamonds, Jet and Gaspeite will go for Maw Sit Sit, and Aura Quartz and I will take on the big guns." Fire Opal said, slamming her fist into her palm.

"T-The big guns? I thought the Diamonds were the big guns." Aura Quartz said.

"These are next in command. Carnelian and Amazonite. They're for military grade people, like us." Fire Opal replied.

"Oh, gold." Aura Quartz sighed. She had never seen her new friends act so strange, but then again, she was pretty much blindly following them into the jaws of death. Maybe that was her way of convincing herself that suicide was okay, if she did it for a cause and not for herself. Fear had changed everyone into a more intimate version of the mostly cold Gems she knew. Black Pearl cried, Gaspeite actually spoke profoundly, and Rhodonite tried harder than usual to be a good leader.

"There are no guards. They're getting cocky." Fire Opal squinted at the palace. "Or they're just being stupid. Hard to tell which is which these days."

"So we just storm in and kill everyone in our way?" Gaspeite asked.

"Sounds easy enough. Like a warm-up to me." Black Pearl shrugged.

"Try not to kill anyone, though," Moonstone added.

"Any last words before we storm in?" Fire Opal asked.

"I'll go first," Gaspeite said. "Fire Opal, you were a total pain in my butt from start to finish and I'll be glad to be rid of ya. Black Pearl, you weren't much different. You're a pain, but you're an attractive pain, I'll give you that. You seem to get what it's like being a criminal, and I can respect that. Moonstone, you were too nosy and nice for your own good. You think saving everyone is going to cover up who you are, what you did. Well, it isn't." Moonstone blushed when Gaspeite said this. "Aura Quartz, I don't know you too well, but I always thought you were a bit of a crybaby for a Quartz. And Rhodonite, you were about the worst leader I have ever seen. You wanted to be like Rose Quartz, but in all truthfulness, there's no way one can beat her in a leadership contest. However, I may see ya'll as royal pains, but you made my final moments surprisingly enjoyable. You're good Gems, although the Diamonds saw us otherwise."

Gaspeite pretty much stole the words out of everyone's mouths, but Rhodonite turned to Moonstone for a moment of intimacy. Black Pearl, who was standing beside Moonstone noticed this, shrugged, and was pulled into her own moment with Aura Quartz.

"Are you ready for this?" Rhodonite asked quietly. She towered over Moonstone, which was ironic seeing how she once towered over her as Blue Diamond. Moonstone had crept closer so there was very little space between them.

Moonstone looked down at the ground and placed her hand on Rhodonite's shoulder. "I don't know."

Rhodonite smiled ever so slightly. "Hm. I don't know if I am either."

"Then why are we going today?" Moonstone moved even closer, pressing her body against Rho's.

"Very funny. If we don't fight today, when? We've made it too far. Can't you hear it? Can't you feel everyone's hearts beating as one? Everyone in the whole galaxy? Don't you want to fight, for all you've been through?" Rhodonite whispered. "You may not believe me, but when a problem or a cause appears and it stares you in the eyes, you must seize it, that's how change happens."

Moonstone smiled. "I guess so."

"Soon, all that guessing gonna turn into knowing." Rhodonite winked. Moonstone hugged Rhodonite tightly, tears flowing out of her eyes. Rhodonite looked down on her partner and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you." They pulled apart and looked into each other's eyes. "Let's finish this."

"Yeah. And we'll do it together." Moonstone smiled.

Meanwhile, Aura Quartz was talking to Black Pearl, except not with the same composure as Rhodonite and Moonstone. Aura's eyes had become living waterfalls, and Black Pearl had sucked in all tears that had formed in her eyes and kept them there. She was cold and reserved, just as she usually was during these types of things. She had grown fond of the pathetic Quartz in front of her, but seriously, she just wanted to slap her back into the way a Quartz was supposed to be.

"Jet?" Aura Quartz sniffled quietly.

"Call me Black Pearl." Black Pearl said. Aura Quartz looked up at her, eyes wide.

"Wow...I...I don't know what's gonna happen today, but if we make it out I want you to know that...if you ever need help, with anything, if you need someone to listen, or if you just need somebody safe...I'm here. You're broken, I know you are. If fate carries us out of this alive in her arms, I want to carry you safely through the rest of this horrible thing called life." Aura Quartz said with a confidence that came with knowing that this may be her last chance.

Black Pearl's cheeks flushed a color darker than her ashen skin. "Yeah. You too. Good luck." Aura Quartz seemed to know what she meant by that. When she fused with Black Pearl to make Mystic Quartz, she broke a wall she never would've imagined breaking. Ever since then, she wanted to break through it further. She wanted to show her that not everyone was like the inhabitants of these "kill or be killed" worlds, even if it meant breaking through each emotional wall one fight at a time. Then again, maybe this was Aura's last chance to do that. Maybe she failed.

"Hey, if we're finished with the emotional crap, we've got a castle to storm." Fire Opal said. The group turned to Fire Opal and nodded, then looked to Rhodonite, the leader who despite how horrible she may be, they still supported her to the end, for she was the one who started it all.

"Let's do this," Rhodonite said, and with that, the small, persistent, determined group of rebels began to sprint towards the unguarded palace entrance. It was surprising how fast their demeanor changed in those few seconds. It went from intimate, emotional, mournful to confident, proud, defiant, and strangely...happy. Maybe it was adrenaline, or pride, or just sheer insanity, no one can be sure. They just ran as though it were a race. The Gems were racing towards certain death, and each of them was bound to win. It was an all-in bet, betting their fates for everything they had, their pasts, presents, futures, and everything strung in between. Their footsteps and breathing echoed through the barren city and in the lobby of the palace once they entered. The lobby would be their parting place since each party had to take different hallways. They stopped there and looked at each other one last time. They then gave one final salute and went their separate ways. Rhodonite and Moonstone went up the middle, Black Pearl and Gaspeite went left, and Fire Opal and Aura Quartz took the right, and off they went into the mouth of uncertain futures, stars broadcasted proudly on their chests.

* * *

It was a three-way ascent to the main Diamond throne rooms. Two flank attacks and one charge up the middle. The first party to reach their target was Black Pearl and Gaspeite. The hallway they went down Gaspeite knew well. It was the one with all the control rooms, each manned by a group of Peridots and Fluorites, all burdened with the job of keeping the planet and all its contents up and running. Black Pearl and Gaspeite slowed to a walk in the white hallway with green wires snaking on the walls.

"Why are we stopping?" Gaspeite asked although she was secretly thankful. A couple flights of stairs and she was already tired.

"We could run straight into a trap, I know she's in here...waiting for us. I saw a security camera in the lobby. They know we're here. It's just they'd rather build us up only to kill us." Black Pearl grunted. She reached into her weapon belt, drew a pistol and shot it down the hallway with a loud bang. However, the bullet was blocked by a large green cleaver that was thrown from behind a door. The bullet hit the blade with a loud clang and fell on the floor. The knife jabbed into one of the wires, causing it to break and spark.

"What the-" Gaspeite whispered before the figure of Maw Sit Sit stepped regally out from one of the doors lining the hallway. She looked the same as she always did in her dark green robes and tight bun. She had a mischievous grin drawn on her face, one that is not exactly normal for such an overly dependent person.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You just gave away your position. Gasp! What will our protagonists do now, I wonder? Or should I say, antagonists." Maw Sit Sit jeered as she pulled her knife from the wall. Black Pearl and Gaspeite growled softly and clenched their fists. "Oh! If it isn't Jet, most formally known as Black Pearl, the murderer who can't seem to be caught, and Gaspeite the Animator. Oh! I wasn't expecting such an ANIMATED response from you two!" Maw Sit Sit cackled.

"Let us pass, and no one gets hurt," Gaspeite said, her hands slowly reaching down to the two pistols strapped to her belt.

Maw Sit Sit chuckled. "Oh come on! The readers will get bored if we don't fight! Besides, your little friend will kill me as sure as fish eggs are fish eggs. It's in her character."

"Readers?" Gaspeite asked, tilting her head.

"Well, your premonition is right." Black Pearl said, shooting multiple bullets at Maw Sit Sit's Gem, all of them being blocked by multiple green cleavers that she summoned and twirled and juggled in her hands. Eventually, all that came from Black Pearl's gun was a dismal clicking noise that meant it was out of ammo.

"Ahuhuhuhu," Maw Sit Sit chuckled. "You idiots! I would tell you how to defeat me, but only cliche antagonists would be _that_ stupid! It'd be much more interesting to watch you figure it out!" She threw three cleavers in Black Pearl and Gaspeite's direction, all of which were dodged.

Black Pearl ran to Maw Sit Sit, summoned spear in hand. She aimed to stab Maw in the chest, but it was blocked by another cleaver. The two engaged in something of a swordfight, although technically there weren't any swords involved. Surprisingly, Maw Sit Sit detected Black Pearl's every move. It was as though she could see into the future. "Why...you!" Black Pearl growled in frustration. Usually fights didn't last this long with her.

"Ahuhuhu! I've watched you fight before! I know all your moves, honey! You've been under the eye of the law for years, I've watched your battles and bar fights for all those years!" Maw Sit Sit cackled. "It's like fighting yourself!"

Gaspeite couldn't help but watch apprehensively. She wasn't sure what to do. Of course, she couldn't. She wasn't meant for fighting. She was just a defective Peridot doing something not even a defective one of her kind is supposed to be doing.

But then again, Black Pearl was not meant for fighting either, and look how far she's come.

With that tiny sliver of determination, she glanced over to the green wires on the wall, now sparking and crackling from wayward blades slicing them. Maw Sit Sit pinned Black Pearl to the wall, knife at her throat, but Black Pearl had her spear pressed against Maw's, making it so if one of them moved a tiny inch, the other would strike and they'd die at the same time. Gaspeite clenched her fists, then opened them and set her hands on the wires. She closed her eyes and felt a power surging through her newly healed Gem once more. It was an indescribable tingling feeling that Gaspeite wasn't quite sure how she lived without for all that time. _Save Jet, and protect me and my friends, that's all I ask._ Gaspeite was surprised she was able to think such selfless thoughts and project them into the new life she had created, but she hoped it would stick. Once Gaspeite opened her eyes, the wires broke from the wall and writhed for a few seconds on the floor beside Gaspeite's feet. The front end of the wires that faced Maw Sit Sit and Black Pearl perked up and started to slither towards the two Gems like snakes, still crackling with electricity. Gaspeite kept making more creatures out of the wires on the wall, and they were all programmed with the same selfish, yet selfless purpose.

Maw Sit Sit could feel the wires snaking up her legs and constricting her slowly. Her eyes moved down to them. She chuckled softly. "The animator has healed, I see."

Black Pearl grinned slyly and let the wire serpents creep up Maw Sit Sit's body until they circled around her neck and poofed her with the amount of pressure they inflicted and electric heat they emitted. Her Gem fell to the floor with a slight clink. Black Pearl looked over Gaspeite and laughed. "You did it!"

"Thanks for distracting her," Gaspeite smiled.

"No problem, even though I was planning on you being the bait, idiot." Black Pearl said.

"Hey, who saved your butt today?" Gaspeite asked.

"Fine, you. Thanks, dumbarse." Black Pearl said.

"We have to go and help the others, let's roll," Gaspeite said. At that moment, the wire snakes seemed to die out, leaving them as limp hardware on the floor. Black Pearl and Gaspeite continued down the hallway, this time, at a much more relaxed pace...

* * *

The hallway in which Aura Quartz and Fire Opal trekked were fairly different from the one Black Pearl and Gaspeite was in. The sunlight seemed to make the corridor sparkle gold. It had a style similar to a grand temple, with large pillars that were held up by statues of agonized Gems, like the statues were doomed to lift the pillars and support the building for all eternity. In between each pillar were beautiful stain glass windows that had geometric designs of each Diamond doing heroic deeds, like conquering planets and helping Gems by giving them "necessary" augmentations. This made it look like the Diamonds were helping people, and not hurting them. Aura Quartz looked up and around in fear, and Fire Opal was stoic. She couldn't help but think of Howlite as they wandered through. Suddenly, the ground vibrated under their feet with the same rhythm as footsteps. They looked up to see two figures, one, a hulking eleven-foot woman with green skin and poofy hair, the other, a regular-looking Quartz with fiery skin who had actually donned armor, to Fire Opal's surprise.

Fire Opal and Aura Quartz stopped in their tracks. "Oh, gold, who are they?" Aura Quartz asked apprehensively, turning to Fire Opal.

"The big guns." Fire Opal said, a wry grin on her face. "I didn't think you'd want to fight me again, Carnie." Fire Opal spoke up as she taunted her former master.

Carnelian chuckled as her and Amazonite stepped out into a sunbeam from the window. "Please. I could beat you any day. Just not that day."

"Now you're just being stupidly narcissistic." Fire Opal jeered. She could see Carnelian growl and mutter under her breath. Fire Opal whispered to Aura Quartz. "Fuse with me."

"What?" Aura Quartz said louder than she meant to, her face blushing the color of robin eggs.

"The only way to take them on is together. Follow my lead." Fire Opal smiled.

"Mm." Aura Quartz nodded as the two Gems backed up from each other. Fire Opal started to shake her hips and wave her arms in her typical rumba style while Aura Quartz fouette'd and brise'd in her ballet style. Aura grand jete'd across the floor and Fire Opal met her in the middle, eventually morphing their styles into that of a tango. Fire Opal twirled Aura Quartz before locking her into an abrazo embrace. After spinning in the embrace, Fire Opal dipped Aura Quartz, their Gems glowing, before merging into an extremely muscular Gem the size of Amazonite with turquoise and teal two-toned skin, dread-locked teal hair, wearing something of an orange tank top and turquoise short skirt. A look of sheer, wry, pride was drawn on the fusion's face and determination flickered in her four eyes. She slammed her fist into her palm, causing them to emit blue flames.

"Bailamos?" The fusion asked snarkily.

"Fusion? Come on, are you that weak?" Carnelian growled.

"The name's Chrysocolla, actually." The fusion replied.

Amazonite snickered. "That's pretty good." Carnelian shot a glare at her. "Right, right, we should be fighting." Amazonite and Carnelian cracked their knuckles and started to sprint to Chrysocolla. Fire Opal gave Aura Quartz some sort of sick confidence when they fused, and together they knew they would be strong enough to fight the two opponents charging towards them. Amazonite glided first towards Chrysocolla, right fist reeled back for a power sucker punch. Chrysocolla twirled, hair whipping around her, and caught Amazonite's fist before it could land on her chest. With that firm grab, she quickly and tightly tucked Amazonite's arm against her chest, locking her into the same abrazo embrace Fire Opal used during the fusion dance. Amazonite struggled under her grip, but to no avail. However, Carnelian jabbed Chrysocolla in the leg with a gem destabilizer, temporarily stunning her long enough for Amazonite to get free and whack her in the face with her shillelagh, knocking the wind out of her.

 _We have to get up. Come on, Aura. We don't want to be the first ones to get wiped out, now, do we?_ Fire Opal said in the fusion. And with that, Chrysocolla got up again, summoned Aura's boomerang and threw it, hitting Amazonite on the head twice. Once in the front, twice in the back. In a fit of rage, Amazonite roared and charged Chrysocolla once moved, shillelagh ready to strike. Chrysocolla had "inherited" Fire Opal's reflexes, allowing her to snatch Amazonite's shillelagh, hold it tight, and throw it across the room and out the window, Amazonite in tow. The giant Gem knocked down half of the pillars on the right side, causing the roof of the building to slide left. Chrysocolla's eyes wandered to the broken statues that once held the pillars. _At least, they're free now._

All that was left now was Carnelian, angrier than ever. She knew that if Chrysocolla could defeat Amazonite, then she could defeat her too. She refused to accept it. She refused to let someone like Fire Opal, a lesser Gem, defeat someone with such military experience. The student wasn't supposed to beat the teacher! It was always meant to be the other way around! Carnelian growled and sprinted towards the fusion, summoning her morning star and growing it to be the biggest it had ever been. Chrysocolla knew what was coming.

 _Aura Quartz. Now's our chance. Let's show them they can't control us anymore._

 _What?_

 _Think of what they did to you, and have it manifest in flaming rage._

 _Mm. I'll do it._

Chrysocolla closed her eyes with a tranquility that could only come with knowledge of true strength and a certainty of what was to come. She slammed her fist in her palm, and flames rose and formed a ring around her. It was a gorgeous swirl of blue and orange flames that manifested into a great creature of aurora borealis. A grand wolf with outstretched angel wings. This was the spirit of Aura Quartz, brought to life by Fire Opal's spirit. Carnelian didn't care what was happening, no, not at all. All that mattered was winning. She swung her morning star and aimed straight past the wolf spirit and into the Gem of Fire Opal on the fusion. However, the wolf had grown to be so strong now, with the thoughts and faith that a life of freedom and peace and prosperity hand and hand could and would happen, that the morning star did nothing. It was as though the spirit had turned to flesh. Carnelian hacked and hacked at the beast, but nothing happened. Her grunts turned to sobs and whimpers as she clutched to victory even though it exerted her to do so.

"Carnelian." The combined voice of Fire Opal and Aura Quartz thundered through the wolf as it looked down at the worn Gem soldier.

"What do you want?" Carnelian shouted.

"Give it up, and I'll say that you won," Chrysocolla said.

"Right. You have no sense of honor!"

"If you defeated me, but went insane in the process, would it still be a victory?" Chrysocolla asked. Carnelian's glare faltered. Her shoulders tensed and released at her words. "Give up and live in peace, then you will be forever victorious." Carnelian was speechless, she merely looked defeated. She refused to make eye contact with Chrysocolla, she just kept her head down. The wolf spirit dissolved into purple smoke, and Chrysocolla walked out of the hallway, leaving Carnelian silent.

* * *

It took the longest for Rhodonite and Moonstone to reach their destination. The highest floor of the palace was where only the most royal of Gems could go, the Diamonds. Three separate throne rooms, shrines for each Diamond. Yellow and Blue on the left, and White and the old Pink on the right. The grandiose door in the middle was the grand throne room, the meeting for all the Diamonds. Rhodonite and Moonstone turned to each other before they entered their doors. There were no words spoken, just a simple nod. With that nod, Rhodonite disappeared into the Yellow Diamond shrine and Moonstone entered White Diamond's domain...

* * *

Yellow Diamond's throne room suited her well. A contemporary area with holographic computer screens lining the walls. There were no technicians manning them, though. The floor was of gold, and the walls were white like the hallways. In the back of the throne room on a pedestal was a floating seat that looked to be of regular stone. Behind the throne were glass windows, the panes in the shapes of diamonds. Rhodonite also noticed an exit, a door to the right of the throne. On the grand seat was Yellow Diamond, wearing her same old outfit. She looked relaxed, sitting with her legs crossed. She twirled her saber tauntingly. "'Bout time you showed up, earthling."

"Ugh, what is with villains and taunting their opponents? I bet if Jet were here, she'd shoot you the minute she walked in." Rhodonite said.

Yellow Diamond chuckled. "Or not. She surprisingly got sucked into Maw Sit Sit's monolog."

"Wait..." Rhodonite almost begged Yellow to tell her where her friends were, but she shook her head to get back on task. "I won't let you do this any longer!"

"Do what? I'm doing nothing. You're the one who's attacking me, devil." Yellow Diamond winked.

"You attacked me when you threatened to destroy Earth. You attacked me when you abused Blue Diamond and I. Don't make yourself look like a hero." Rhodonite growled.

Yellow Diamond stood up out of her throne and stared down at Rhodonite from the pedestal leading up to it. "Don't make yourself look like a hero either. You disturbed the peace of Homeworld. If it weren't for you, everything would be perfect."

"Yeah, I disturbed the peace you sustained through fear. That's not peace if you ask me."

"Look at us, monologuing no matter what." Yellow Diamond pointed her sword in Rhodonite's direction. "Draw your weapon and fight." Yellow Diamond's words were short and sharp, just as Rho remembered them. Rhodonite pulled her tomahawk from her Gem and gave it a good warm-up twirl. Yellow Diamond leaped from the throne pedestal and onto the main floor of the room with a loud clack of her heels. And so it began. It was a defensive battle on Rho's side against the constantly oncoming blows of Yellow Diamond's sword. She never stopped attempting to cut through Rhodonite, so Rhodonite always had to block with her weapon. It was like this for several minutes, just Yellow Diamond hacking at Rhodonite as she blocked and backed closer and closer to the entrance and away from the exit. Yellow Diamond didn't want her going through that door. Right before Rhodonite was cornered at the entrance, Yellow Diamond raised her sword for a downward blow, leaving her abdomen open. Rhodonite saw it as an opportunity, lightly cut Yellow Diamond in her open spot and ran while she reacted.

Yellow Diamond hissed in agony before turning to chase Rhodonite with a growl. Now Rho was waiting at the top of the pedestal, panting from running. "Coward! How dare you run!" Yellow Diamond roared.

"Oh, come on. You gotta admit that was smart." Rhodonite said teasingly. Yellow Diamond sprinted towards Rhodonite, her feet thundering on the golden floors before she leaped a surprising height and distance, doing a flip mid air while summoning a second sword, and landing in front of Rhodonite. Yellow Diamond continued trying to attack Rhodonite, this time slashing with two swords. Rhodonite kept blocking and parrying long enough to go through the back exit into the main throne room. It was dark besides the sun beating through the window behind the elevated thrones, shrouding the two fighters in shadows...

 _C'mon Moonstone, yours can't take that long, can it? Someone, please hurry up..._ Rhodonite thought.

* * *

 ** **Meanwhile...****

Moonstone wandered into the room she knew well. She wondered what her sisters did with her old room, but quickly shook off the memories. White Diamond's room was made of white marble and jade with accents of gold, making the walls and floors look like fractured bone. The pillars were corinthian with sculptures on the bottom that looked like Gems were holding up each pillar. Lining the walls were mounted swords and stuffed beasts from many planets. It was silent in the room, and although White Diamond was waiting across the long stretch of it, there was still a feeling of no presence. Just a chill, like someone breathing down your neck, and Moonstone felt it. All that could be heard was Moonstone's nervous breaths and her footsteps on the floor. White Diamond was waiting for her in another throne of bones and shards, wearing long white robes, her hair beautifully messy.

"This is a small shock." White Diamond's voice cut through the quiet. Moonstone tensed and focused her attention on White. "I'm glad I got you, though. Sister killer." White Diamond rose from her throne and walked slowly to Moonstone, who reached for her Gem. "No need. I won't harm you." White Diamond said. Moonstone knew she couldn't be trusted but there was something about her voice that calmed her.

"Then what will you do?" Moonstone whispered, taking a step back.

"You remind me of someone. I just want to see your Gem up close. I swear I saw hints of blue in it. That could just be the iridescence of your Gem." White Diamond said calmly.

"Yes, iridescence from the light in here," Moonstone added awkwardly.

"Hmm, yes. What was I thinking." White Diamond's tone turned cold. "So tell me, was it worth it? Was the rush of death enough to calm your lust? Or do you find yourself wanting more?"

"What?"

"You know what you did! You killed my sister, you held her blood in your hands with no sort of reverence! Now, you and everyone you love will burn in despair only to descend into eternal flames!" White Diamond shouted, pointing a long finger at Moonstone. "DIE. SHATTER. See what good murder does you!" White Diamond summoned two war fans and twirled them in her fingers. Moonstone gulped nervously and summoned her bo staff. Her hands started to sweat, making her grip slippery, but she held on because this was going to be a bumpy ride. White Diamond immediately tried to slash Moonstone with her war fans methodically, every movement calculated and graceful. Unlike Rhodonite, Moonstone didn't want to fight a defensive battle, so she thrust along with parried during the fight. It was a good match, two graceful fighters of similar styles having a showdown, it was almost like a dance in itself. Moonstone noticed a door to the left of the throne pedestal and aimed to back her opponent out of it so someone might see her and try to help.

During the fight, White Diamond decided to start a conversation. "You know," She panted. "You remind me of her."

"Who?" Moonstone asked as she attempted to jab White Diamond in the gut.

"My sister. You fight like her. You even sound like her." White Diamond replied. Moonstone was silent. She wasn't sure what to say. There really was nothing to say. "I have to ask, how did you kill her that easily? How come there were no shards, and only blood? It's almost not even possible." White Diamond continued. Moonstone was still quiet. "Interesting." White Diamond muttered. Moonstone was lost in thought for a short period, thinking about those few sentences that White had uttered, which gave her time to quickly scrape Moonstone on the arm. She grunted and faltered, holding her arm. However during this time of weakness White just couldn't make the final blow that could end it all. She finally had a chance to kill the one Gem she resented all this time, so, why couldn't she kill her? Something was keeping her from killing Moonstone, she just didn't know what.

It was White Diamond's turn to be aloof as she figured out what was happening. Moonstone retaliated by whacking her in the legs with her bo staff, temporarily knocking the large Gem over and giving her a chance to escape out the left exit. White Diamond looked back at her as she escaped, her hair whipping with her head. "Moonstone!" She snarled as she followed her into the main throne room, where she saw her sister battling an overwhelmed Rhodonite. She called out to her, "Sister!"

Yellow Diamond perked up at White Diamond's voice. She seemed to understand much more just from that one call. It was time, just as they had planned. They had spent so much time forming their planet their way, their planet was a mound of clay that could easily be reformed, but this single act would be the firing kiln that would seal Homeworld's form forever. Yellow and White stunned their opponents with cuts to their legs and began to dance. White Diamond moved her hips and waved her war fans rhythmically in a flamenco style, whereas Yellow Diamond waacked and strutted towards her partner until they collided and clutched each other tightly. Rhodonite and Moonstone stood and watched in petrified awe, not sure what to do. Their Gems glowed and their forms merged into something bigger than anyone had expected. The form of the fusion grew and grew until her body broke through the side of the room and the roof and towered over every building on the planet. The white glow of formation disappeared to reveal that the fusion was mostly a chocolate color with a silver iridescence. From the smooth skin that covered her statuesque figure, her long, kimono-like robes to her spiky, geometric, triangular hair to her four, piercing eyes. From her back she sprouted great, black, reptilian wings and summon from her Gems two, long, double-bladed battle axes, the mix between a fan and a sword. She cackled manically, revealing her sharp fangs.

"Brown Diamond, the World Breaker," Moonstone whispered as she looked up at the great being. Right in the nick of time, the rest of the party burst through what was left of the throne room doors. Fire Opal and Aura Quartz were the only two who looked worn out.

"What took you so long?" Rhodonite asked.

"Got lost." Gaspeite shrugged.

Rhodonite face-palmed, but their reunion was interrupted by the thundering voice of Brown Diamond. "IDIOTS! See what your resilience has brought! Not only will you die, but everyone else will too! This world will shatter with your Gems and every other one too!" Brown Diamond shouted as she slammed her right battle axe into the ground, causing the crust to split and crack into a lava spewing crevice and the ground to rumble. "I know understand what the ancient philosophers meant...we're not meant to conquer worlds, but destroy them! You were right all along, Cluster...Now I'll follow your lead." She created another crack right through the center of the palace, but Rhodonite's crew quickly evaded it.

Something was brewing inside of Rhodonite in that moment. It was a flaming determination she couldn't ignore. It wasn't just determination, it was anger and protectiveness and fear rolled into one. Herself and her friends were in danger, sure, but now the whole world? She knew she couldn't save herself, even if she went insane fighting this battle, but she knew in her heart that she had to save her friends and save her worlds, both Earth, and Homeworld. Rhodonite's hands shook, in fact, her whole body trembled and glowed white as she closed her eyes and let the corruption take over. It was her turn to flaunt her strength, her world breaking strength as her bottled up corruption turned her into a multiple armed sauropod creature, one that was even stronger than before. Her crest stood on end as she let out a mighty roar. She looked down at Moonstone. _I'll save you._ She looked to her friends, scared and alone and broken, but still together. They were broken...together. Through it all. That had to count for something in this. _I'll save them._ She then looked out to the vast planet and the great blue sky that was threatened with destruction. Rhodonite imagined the frightened Gems under the palace, and a fire flickered brighter in her eyes and her heart. She closed her eyes, and everything went black for a few moments…

* * *

Rhodonite was in her Gem, and it was darker than last time. Just black with two glowing crystalline embers suspended in mid-air. Rhodonite was on her knees, looking at it all. "What am I doing? I'm supposed to be fighting!"

The embers glowed white, and standing in front of her were two Gems. One tall and blue, the other short and pink. They walked over to Rhodonite, their forms like smoke rather than light. They both knelt down beside Rhodonite and wrapped their arms around her. Rhodonite realized that these were the spirits of Sodalite and Rhodochrosite, the presences she felt after all this time. Here they were, in the moment she needed them most. She felt a comforting warmth as the landscape glowed pink…

" _Look at the view out there, look at the Gems you've met, all of this is for them, for that. Isn't that worth fighting for?"_ Rose Quartz's words echoed.

* * *

Rhodonite flashed back and as she looked out and contemplated everything that had just happened and embraced the protection of her spirits, she whispered with final breath: _I'll save EVERYONE!_ And with those thoughts, Rhodonite charged towards Brown Diamond like a bull towards its matador. The two started a brawl of centuries, tackling, clawing, punching, scraping, but it was covered by a cloud of dust, ash, and debris from the volcanic activity and the buildings they were rupturing.

Moonstone looked on to the two warriors, then turned to her team. "We have to fuse and get over there! We can't just sit around!"

"Are you sure?" Aura Quartz asked.

"I've never been surer," Moonstone said with seriousness.

In a matter of seconds, Aura Quartz and Black Pearl fused into Mystic Quartz, Moonstone and Fire Opal formed Spessartite Garnet and fused with quick tango movements. While their fusion was forming, they pulled in Gaspeite and together they made a Gem that was the same size as Brown Diamond. Her color palette was a clash of deep blues, reds, golds, and purples. She sported a long, armored dress, powerful, multicolored angel wings, long, dreadlocked hair and in her six arms she wielded every weapon of the Gems she was made of. Her two eyes were focused and fiery, and she sprinted with thundering steps to the battle scene. This fusion was Dragon's Breath Opal, but Gaspeite came up with Dracona for short. Dracona snuck behind Brown Diamond and stabbed her in the back, just missing her Gems. Brown Diamond roared in agony and swatted Dracona back with one arm, giving Rhodonite a chance to shove Brown Diamond as hard as she could until the great fusion fell backward with a rumbling thud onto the ground, causing the planet to fracture even more. Rhodonite pinned Brown Diamond down before she could recover, and she struggled in the beast's grip. Brown Diamond hissed. "Ngah! You can't kill me! I'm the only one keeping this worthless planet from anarchy! Besides, it's impossible to shatter a-" BAM!

Dracona jabbed Black Pearl's spear and Aura Quartz' boomerang into Brown Diamond's two Gems. Brown Diamond paused as they cracked more and more. POOF! A white cloud blanketed the landscape.

 _It's over._

* * *

 **Wow…**

 **That was a lot.**

 **This has been a several week labor of love, and at one point, half of the last part was deleted so I had to rewrite...oooooh man. I have so much to say! First of all, I sadly have to admit this is the second to last chapter. I just can't pump anymore out without risking canon. This next chapter is the end. Second of all, this whole time everyone thought the Diamonds were indestructible. I figured a Gem's mortality depended on its hardness in real life, and a Diamond is the hardest material. However, it isn't the toughest material, therefore, it can be shattered by a good amount of force. Third of all, this chapter is currently competing for the longest chapter I have ever written. The previous record holder is Story for Sodalite.**

 **I had composed this chapter of several parts. Each individual fight had its own document and I eventually combined them. Black Pearl and Gaspeite was about strength and growth, Aura and Fire Opal's was about spirituality and humility, Rhodonite's was all about settling the score, and Moonstone's was basically the Sans fight haha and together it showed teamwork and overall growth of the characters.**

 **Oh gosh...I hope you guys enjoyed this! If not, be sure to give me critiques! There's always room for improvement on my end!**


	49. Peace

**3 years later...**

Rhodonite was happy to finally get the chance to lounge around for a day. With the war won, Rhodonite and the rest of the Crystal Gems could finally live happily on Earth without ever worrying about Homeworld coming back again. It had been 3 years since Rhodonite last heard from her partner in battle and in romance, Moonstone, and she missed her. She enjoyed her company with Steven and the Crystal Gems, especially Garnet, who had taken a liking to Sodalite back in the day, but everything she did since Moonstone left felt empty. It was the same feeling she felt on her wedding anniversary with Howlite. All these thoughts rolled back and forth in her head as peacefully as the waves hugging the shore outside the small house she lived in with the Gems. She just stared out into the horizon from the cushioned seat by the front window.

Thud, thud, thud, thud! The loud footsteps of Steven running up the steps to the door startled the aloof Rhodonite. That was enough to draw her attention to him, but just to make sure, Steven called, "Rhodonite! Rhodonite! Rhodonite!" He burst into the door, sweating and panting. He stopped to take a breather before holding out an envelope in Rhodonite's direction. She got up from her seat and snatched it out of Steven's hands.

"A letter? Who would want to talk to me?" Rhodonite asked. She had never really made any friends in Beach City.

"Lapis and I found it at the Galaxy Warp, actually," Steven said.

"Hmm." Rhodonite stared at the envelope. There was no return address. It just had her name written on it. She opened it up and pulled out a long, folded piece of parchment that she recognized from Homeworld. It was the same kind of paper she and Moonstone used to write the letters that started it all. She smiled and looked back down at Steven, who was waiting for a response from Rhodonite. "Thanks for bringing this to me."

"No prob, Bob!" Steven smiled. "Who's the letter from?"

"It's from someone I haven't heard from in a long time," Rhodonite said, looking back down at the parchment.

"You mean, Moonstone?" Steven asked, starry-eyed.

"Yep. Now run along, I'm sure Lapis, Peridot, and Connie are out there waiting." Rhodonite rustled Steven's hair gently with one hand while she held the letter with the other.

"Okay, but you're showing me later!" Steven said before running out the door.

Rhodonite chuckled to herself as her eyes followed Steven all the way down to the beach. She couldn't see Lapis, Peridot, Connie, or Lion, but she assumed they were there waiting for him. He always had someone waiting for him. Now, she finally had word of the person waiting for her. Rhodonite sat down on the window bench and started to read the letter...

 _Dear Rhodonite,_ It began in Moonstone's signature cursive calligraphy.

 _I'd first like to say I'm sorry. I know it's been a while since we last spoke. I kept starting to write, but rebuilding Homeworld has always pulled me away from that weary piece of parchment on my desk. Things are running smoothly now, so I might as well give you a report. Just in case you were worried about me._

 _Homeworld is doing fine, better than before at least. With the help of Maw Sit Sit and Black Pearl we created a new government consisting of a three branch committee with representatives speaking for all Gems and walks of Gem life. With room for relaxation and pursuit of happiness guaranteed here now, Gemmanity has developed the same rich culture that it once had. We now are flourishing with artists, writers, and I'd like to think we model humans in a way. Compassion is even encouraged here! We still are the rising power in technology, but it looks like the ancient philosophers were wrong. We are capable of emotion and peace. Aura Quartz and I set up a theater a while ago, almost like human Broadway, and it turned into a success as well. Maw Sit Sit and Black Pearl, as much as she doesn't want to admit it, write plays for us a lot, and everyone goes to see them. Although we are a populated planet, we found safety and solace in a community. We're like a small town of comrades. It's not exactly like Earth, but it's close. There is still the occasional crime, but it's nothing we can't solve. Our war left its scars, but I feel like we did more good than harm._

 _I bet you want to know how the others are doing. Aura Quartz and Black Pearl married a few months ago, and they are slowly helping each other out of their pasts...slowly. Fire Opal is on vacation in the Dagobah system, and she's been there for almost a year. She says she's meditating intensely. Gaspeite is...well, we did promise all that money to her and Black Pearl. She's living here in the palace with me. We're like roommates! However, she does like to tinker and help out with the invention process here. Black Pearl bought back her Firefly class ship, Bug, and Gaspeite helped her give it the necessary updates. She and Aura go flying often. Oh! And you'll ever guess! Black Pearl won an acting award! Aura begged her to be in this year's production of Undertale: The Musical...and she was so good in her role! I'll have to send you a disc so you, Steven and the others can watch it!_

 _I still think about you a lot. I think about Earth too. Do you think about me too? Maybe you could visit? Or I can visit you? How are Steven and the Gems? I bet you're glad to be there with them. You can watch Steven grow up now. I wish I could be there to do it with you. Looking back at all of this, I realize, that one part of my happy ending is missing. You aren't there. I guess that's fine, though, as long as you're happy. I just want to say thanks again, for helping me, and bringing color into my life. If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be Blue Diamond and...the Earth would be...but let's not talk about that!_

 _Instead, let's talk about what I discovered on my walk with Black Pearl the other day..._

 _A flower! A Ruby Rose! Those are only native here! Maybe we'll grow a whole meadow and you can visit we can look at the clouds from it someday!_

 _Till then,_

 _Moonstone_

Rhodonite set the letter on her lap and tried to block the tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. They spilled onto her hands when she did this, making them soaked. She closed her eyes tight and took a deep breath, finally suppressing them. She folded the letter and placed it gently into the envelope. She looked back out the window at the beach, where she could see Connie, Steven, Lapis, and Peridot having a water balloon fight. Amethyst had even joined too. Rhodonite smiled and caressed the envelope in her lap before wiping the remnants of her tears and stepping outside to join the "battle".

And with the salty ocean wind in her hair, the sand between her toes, and the sun on her skin, Rhodonite stepped from a dark place of uncertainty and inner war to a place as light and free as the breeze that summer.

This was the beginning of a bright, bright, future...for everyone.

* * *

 **What? Pfft, I'm not crying! I just caught something in my eye!**

 **Once again, I don't know what to say.**

 **It's been an adventure, it most certainly has. This may be a fanfiction and it may be overlooked but this story helped me grow as a writer and a person and really there's no way I can say that I wouldn't do this again. I downloaded all of my chapters of this into my flash drive the other day, and looking at the first chapter all the way to the Apotheosis I have to say...wow. I love this story, and sure I have regrets (The first four chapters, Chapter 20 (I loathe chapter 20) and Pas De Deux could've been better) but I still see this story as a success. I waxed strong in character development, world building, and overall matured as a writer since I wrote Wind, Blood, and Stars over a year ago. (I wrote a whole monolog about how writing changed my life and yadda yadda for this but decided to spare everyone the trouble.)**

 **Okay, some final words.**

 **First, I would like to say that the thing I'm most proud of here is my characters. I freaking love them. My favorites have to be Rhodonite, Moonstone, Black Pearl, Aura, Sodalite, and Howlite. Gaspeite and White Diamond were fun to write too.**

 **Second of all, I would like to thank you guys, because without your continuous support I probably would've stopped at Operation Orosu, or even earlier. I've made lots of friends through this experience, and that's just another thing that probably wouldn't have happened anywhere else.**

 **That's all I have left. Thank you, and stay determined!**

 **Reviews are so, so, encouraged! I have one question, what did you like and dislike about this story?**

 **(Also, since my school provides my laptop, I may be on an involuntary hiatus for a bit.)**


	50. It's Over (Short)

Progress had been much quicker than expected. The technicians assigned to monitor the planet Homeworld's ecological progress were shocked at how quickly life rebounded on the once dormant planet. Plants sprouted, animals were being introduced back into the area and were adapting well to the thick urban landscape, even if it was hard for people to get used to at first. With a little help from other planets, bodies of water were being artificially created, therefore precipitation and the condensation of clouds was now possible.

Moonstone and her committee of representatives overseeing the reforming planet were especially happy about this, seeing as this was one of the many things Moonstone believed was worth fighting for back when she was merely a rebel against the perceived deities, Yellow and White Diamond.

However, this wasn't enough for her. How could she feel so unsatisfied after all this progress and joy? This was what Rhodonite wanted, right? But Moonstone couldn't help but feel she had been cheated. Once. She visited Earth once and spent quality time that she much desired with Rho, but it wasn't enough. It was like half of her heart was longing for its partner waiting at least a galaxy away.

Romance wasn't all she fought for. She couldn't possibly be forced into the role of the lovesick Pearl, just like in the first revolution, could she? Moonstone prided herself on fighting for her planet and all its life and all its potential. But there was still her. It was requited. She never left. But the distance was unbearable.

 _A letter. I have to hear from her again._ Moonstone thought to herself as she strolled through the streets of Homeworld with Black Pearl, who had become her best friend and sole confidant since the war. The city wasn't as dark as before. The sun and reduction of smog in the sky was enough to make the city look more alive and vibrant instead of dreary and soulless.

Black Pearl was silent as she walked. She rarely spoke on their daily walks unless spoken to. She appreciated silence, and frankly, found it relieving.

However, Moonstone snapped out of her deep concentration to talk to her friend. "Oh! Sorry! You must think I'm ignoring you! No, I'm not." She said awkwardly.

"It's fine. Have you heard from Fire Opal and Carnelian lately?" Black Pearl asked. Fire Opal and Carnelian had left shortly after the war to the Dagobah system to reflect on themselves, their pasts, presents, and futures.

"No. They completely disconnected with us when they left. I sure hope they're alright. I hear Dagobah isn't the prettiest planet in the universe." Moonstone replied.

"They're dealing with everything in their own way. Aura and I have decided to work a little closer to home. She's making strides...but I'm not sure if I am." Black Pearl said, looking down and watching the lines in the concrete pass with each step.

"Jet..." Moonstone began before getting interrupted.

"But what does that matter? I can suffice just fine right now. Aura Quartz needs more help than I do, and she's been a priority to me since the war."

"You really love her, don't you?" Moonstone said with a quiet chuckle and a sigh.

"What? No! I just figure she would contribute to the reformation of Homeworld better if she wasn't such a coward and a drama queen!" Black Pearl shouted in defense. Moonstone sighed again and went to staring at the sidewalk as well. It was almost mesmerizing. "Moonstone..." Black Pearl reached to put her hand on her shoulder. _Be empathetic. Be empathetic._ She repeated in her head.

Thrust out of her head and back into the real world, Black Pearl was snapped into focus by a sharp gasp from Moonstone. "Jet! Look!" She pointed at the sidewalk.

Black Pearl, still recovering from the shock of Moonstone's sudden gasp, looked at the elated Gem with confusion. "What is it that's so import-" She couldn't even finish her sentence when she saw the tiny red flower sprouting from a sidewalk line. It was small and frail, but beautiful. "Tant." Black Pearl whispered the end of her sentence quietly. "What is it, Moonie?"

"It's a Ruby Rose! It's so beautiful! Look at the crystalline accents in the petals, the way they glint in the Sun!" Moonstone shouted, her body shaking excitedly.

"Right. Sorry. My botany is rather rusty seeing I haven't worked in the intellectual records in several thousand years..." Black Pearl rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Don't you know what this means?" Moonstone twirled on her heels to Black Pearl and grabbed her shoulders. "After all these years, a Ruby Rose seed has been laying dormant...how? Does it have the same Gem component to adapt to the conditions of any planetoid?"

"I don't know, it's compelling to me as well..." Black Pearl mumbled.

"Either way, it's a sign of hope! It's a sign that we didn't fight for nothing! Oh, Jet!" Moonstone squealed before picking up Black Pearl's lean and light body and swinging her in the air. Unbeknownst to them, their Gems and bodies glowed as the two phased together accidentally, quickly forming an elegant dark purple-skinned fusion with a lean and agile figure with four arms and three sparkling lilac eyes. She had mountainous turquoise hair and wore a grey glittering maxi dress. Surrounding her was a black fog, but her skin glowed with the light of the moon.

However, the beauty was fleeting as its two halves realized what was happening and split apart abruptly, both falling on their butts on the sidewalk.

"Moonstone!" Black Pearl gasped, trying to hide her blushing face.

"Jet! I am so sorry! I didn't mean for that to happen I just got excited!" Moonstone jumped up, blushing as well.

"No, no, it's okay. I understand." Black Pearl said quietly, standing up and wrapping her hands in Moonstone's.

"But Aura-"

"It was an accident. She doesn't have to know." Black Pearl winked. "And neither does Rho."

Moonstone nodded. "I guess. Although, it was kinda nice."

"What? Oh no, don't go thinking-"

"No! It's just, I really miss Rho...it's been hard without her. I don't know I survived before I met her, and I'm not sure if she's ever coming back to see me." Moonstone explained quietly.

"And that short time with me made you feel better." Black Pearl completed the thought.

"Yeah!"

"Still not doing it again."

"I know, but should I move on? I can't help but feel tied to her. Like if I leave her then she'll come back and I'll break her heart." Moonstone said. "It's like she's Rose Quartz and I'm the renegade P-"

"Plaything." Black Pearl said coldly.

"What?" Moonstone asked.

"Nothing." Black Pearl placed her hands on Moonstone's shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "Moonstone, listen to me." She said with a serious intimacy. "I don't know squat about this Shakespeare crap you've got going on. Just don't beat yourself up over it. Whatever happens happens, and you just gotta go with the flow and see where life takes you. If it takes you to Rho, then it was meant to be. If not, well, don't let her stop you from moving on."

"That was really profound." Moonstone said quietly.

"But if my advice goes wrong, don't blame me! Remember that above all else. Don't. Blame. Me. Got it? Okay, good talk, Moonie." Black Pearl said before leaving Moonstone with the Ruby Rose on the sidewalk.

* * *

 _ **Isn't it?**_

 **This character study has been sitting in my inventory for a while but after watching (and loving)** ** _Mr. Greg_** **I figured it would match the theme of that episode.**

 **MoonstonexBlack Pearl was one of my favorite crackships when writing Broken Together. They're not exactly in a relationship in canon, but this is one of those moments where there's a little something. Moonstone will always love Rhodonite, and Black Pearl is pretty crazy about Aura Quartz even if she doesn't show it. Moonstone doesn't really ever...move on, actually. Sure, Rho visits Homeworld every once and awhile but not enough for them to have a life together. It's kind of sad.**

 **I have some more character studies, but I doubt they'll be good. I have an Aura Quartz one and a Fire Opal and Carnelian one. I felt like those two didn't get enough development in the actual story.**

 **Anyway...REVIEWS ARE ENCOURAGED! And I hope you enjoyed this!**

 **(Btw, Moonstone and Black Pearl's fusion is called Tanzanite, and their fusion theme is "My Imaginary Friend" from the** ** _Beyond: Two Souls_** **soundtrack, except instead of bells in the beginning I'm thinking more piano.)**


	51. Duty and Destiny (Short)

Aura Quartz almost felt bad for not being as excited as the crowd of other Quartzes being initiated today. Years and years of hard work and training, and Aura didn't feel the least bit accomplished. When her fellow classmates first emerged, they were a rowdy bunch of Gems with no concept of discipline and a need to wrestle and assert dominance. All Quartzes are expected to be that way at that age. However, Aura Quartz was different. She was cowardly, peaceful, a gentle giant, if you will. She had to fake her way into not being seen as defective, and yet she wasn't sure if that was even worth it.

During her training, she couldn't help but dream of being a normal Quartz, yet she hated the lessons she was taught. Sure, she was born with natural strength and was seen as normal by others because of her excellent ability to hide her true self, but her "mental defects" were what kept her from truly believing it to be true herself.

The group of freshly trained Quartzes she had been with since she emerged had changed. They were no longer as hyper. They walked with discipline and honor, their heads held high. However, they still kept their pride and delusion of superiority all through their lives and had developed a strong sense of duty to their Diamonds. In fact, it was even encouraged.

Sure, _they_ deserved the honor of being blessed by the Diamonds. They deserved to be called their children, children of goddesses. Aura Quartz did not. She was nothing the Diamonds, the respected deities and rulers of Homeworld, wanted. Did it make her evil? The fact that she could see through this cruel religion of hatred and violence? Or the fact that she simply didn't belong in it? The thought burdened her heart greatly, but she remained stiff and expressionless as she walked in rhythm with the other Quartzes to the Diamond Throne Room.

 _Left, Right, Left, Right, Left..._

Their manager, a tall Gem with green skin and hair called Amazonite, finally halted the group of Quartzes at the grand double doors. The crossroads in between two long hallways. Soon, the class would divide and go down the mysterious corridors, never to be seen again. As Amazonite pushed the doors open, Aura Quartz swallowed nervously and felt her body heat up and start to drip sweat. She looked to one of her friends and confidants, an Amethyst, who did not notice her nor look back.

Once the Quartz class filed into the throne room, Amazonite slammed the doors loudly behind them. A sign that meant there was no turning back. The three Diamonds looked from their thrones to the Quartzes, barely even interested.

Yellow Diamond was the first to speak. "Greetings. I see we have made another successful batch of Quartzes. Which Kindergarten?"

"The Southwestern Kindergarten on Hoth. It may just be the first and finest batch of Quartzes that hasn't come from Mustafar, AgniKok or Earth." A Peridot that had accompanied Amazonite said.

"Most of them look like they're going to Blue Diamond. Lucky. Some of these Amethysts and Agates look like quite the catch." White Diamond whispered to Yellow Diamond.

"Quartzes. Do you promise to stay faithful and loyal to your Diamonds and all their ways? Never failing, ignoring, or questioning an order as long as you live?" Yellow Diamond asked, staring intimidatingly down at the class.

"Yes, I promise." The Quartzes said in unison, even Aura. If anyone didn't agree, they would be shattered on the spot.

"Do you renounce all other ways of thinking and see them as defective, impure, and/or evil?" Yellow Diamond asked.

"Yes, I do." The Quartzes responded once more.

Yellow and White Diamond smirked with satisfaction before Amazonite directed each Quartz by Facet and Cut to their assigned Diamonds. Aura Quartz decided not to pay attention, seeing as it meant watching her friends leave her behind. At least, not until it was her turn to be called.

"Aura Quartz, Facet 2F8L, Cut 8XG. Blue Diamond!" Amazonite called out into the sea of Quartzes. Aura had remembered her facet and cut like the back of her hand, yet it took her a few seconds to respond and walk towards the pillar where Blue Diamond was. Her face was hidden under a hooded cloak, which was even more intimidating.

Blue Diamond looked at the screen hovering next to the right armrest of her throne, which read the stats of each Quartz. This would allow her to select commanders meant to lead groups to their posts.

 _Please not the Corruption Labs...Please not the Corruption Labs..._ Aura Quartz thought to herself. She couldn't stand corrupted Gems. She found them rather creepy, and feared becoming one herself.

"Aura Quartz," Blue Diamond spoke. She preferred to treat each Gem as their own person rather than label them by facet and/or cut. She gestured directly to her. "You and Citrine will be sent to monitor the Corruption Labs, along with Agate and Chalcedony."

 _Dang it!_ Aura Quartz cursed in her thoughts as she followed the much larger Citrine out of the throne room with Agate and Chalcedony trailing behind her.

"Do not let me down." Blue Diamond said quietly as the double doors closed behind them...

* * *

 _ **There's no sense in letting in anything new, because all you say there is to life is being faithful to you.**_

 _ **-Outline for an Aura Quartz solo I never finished.**_

 **Here is the Aura character study that eventually got cut, most likely because I thought it was too short. Well, it's here now!**

 **Aura Quartz was always defective, but it wasn't until shortly before her initiation that she realized that she didn't want to live her life being something she wasn't, and that duty and destiny are not always the same thing. Especially in her case. The ceremony felt incredibly forced for her, and she feared that one slip up would leave her shattered, like every other defect.**

 **Next is the Fire Opal and Carnelian one, which shows them taking over a distant planet and running into a few complications along the way. For my Skimming the Surface readers, this next chapter is also planned to be really big, so it should take awhile. As for Flowers and Ash, I have some stuff coming up as well.**

 **'Till then!**

 **REVIEWS ARE ENCOURAGED!**


	52. Burns (Short)

"Making descent to the surface now, sir." A Fluorite said as she maneuvered one of three hand ships to the surface of a newly assigned planet. She trembled under the size and strength of Carnelian, leader of the Militia of Flames, the Diamonds' greatest asset for conquering planets. Her newly assigned partner, Fire Opal, stood just behind her, but she didn't look like much despite the rumors, just quiet and nervous.

"Good. What are the stats?" Carnelian asked sharply, her fiery eyes beating down on the Fluorite, who was shaking in her seat.

"Our scouts have concluded that it's another tropical planet, sir. The topography is moderately flat and the landscape is mostly jungle and grasslands. There is no real civilization, just small, primal villages. It shouldn't be too difficult for you." The Fluorite said.

"It never is." Carnelian grinned. "Land in the savannah."

"Yes, sir." The Fluorite said before directing the ship to where Carnelian spoke of.

"What should I do, master?" Fire Opal asked timidly. This was her first mission, and after her previous master's disappearance, she had lost all of her eagerness and self-confidence.

"Stay out of my way." Carnelian growled as she passed her apprentice.

"But, shouldn't we be working together?" Fire Opal asked.

Carnelian stopped to look her apprentice in the eyes. "Look, Yellow Diamond may have assigned you to me, but that doesn't mean you're getting special treatment. This is a game, and I'm not here to let everyone get a chance to play." Carnelian snapped. "I'm here to _kill_. But more importantly, I'm here to _win_." As Carnelian spoke Fire Opal noticed that she had a sort of beastliness to her. Her catlike eyes glinted in the dim light and she bared her teeth often. And with that, she was gone.

"Yes, sir." Fire Opal sighed quietly as she followed Carnelian down the hall with the rest of the soldiers on their ship, already waiting to exit on their speeders onto the new planet. As the ship continued to descend to the surface, it shook violently until it eventually landed. Two other hand ships touched down beside it. Since they landed in the grassland just outside the jungle, the ships didn't disturb much life, not that they cared.

"Whoa..." Fire Opal marveled at the strange new place. The plants and ground were foreign, yet the sky was the same. A few vibrant-feathered birds flew overhead. She could hear their distant calls.

Carnelian was not big on wasting time, so the entire Militia quickly filed out on their speeders and started across the savannah, searching for their first village to target.

* * *

It was dark now as one of Carnelian's Rubies pointed out rising smoke and dim, orange light just beyond a hill. It was a sign of life, and with that much smoke it had to be a civilization of some sort. "Let's go! This village isn't going to destroy itself!" Carnelian barked as the Militia kept moving forward.

Fire Opal's heart rose as she followed after her master. Once they went over the hill, they saw a rather disappointing sight. It was a village, but it was already being ravaged by a group of flying reptiles, dragons. Two alphas the size of mountains with an army of several smaller ones obeying their commands. There was no point in going in there, because the beasts had already drowned the village in flames and despite the echoing screams coming from there, all life was doomed to die.

"Well, would you look at that, sir. The village technically did destroy itself." A Ruby chirped behind Carnelian and Fire Opal before giggling nervously.

"Quiet!" Carnelian snapped, scaring the Ruby so hard she almost fell out of her speeder. "I'm not letting these beasts take my kill. Come on!" Carnelian gestured for the Militia to advance towards the burning village. Fire Opal loosened the bow strapped to her back to allow her to draw it quickly as she followed Carnelian into the ruins.

Before the Militia even reached the center of town, soldiers leaped off their speeders and began taking down dragons, one by one or even multiple at a time. It was what was expected out of Quartzes. Rubies, however, were the expendable type who needed fusion to make themselves useful. Despite Carnelian's annoyance, Fire Opal followed her through the village, taking out dragons from the air with her bow while Carnelian took them on fist to fire on the ground. Fire Opal found it strange that Carnelian never wore any armor, just the lightest paints and cloth wrapped around her chest. She was a walking showboat of strength.

Carnelian turned to Fire Opal, who had just shot her twentieth dragon. "Not bad. I'm going to take on the alpha. Go...just do something useful." Carnelian said before shapeshifting into a great alpha dragon herself, except instead of black and grey scales worn from centuries of fighting, Carnelian's were a fiery orange, just like her skin. Much like her bushy long hair, her dragon form sported a messy mane that blew behind her as she took off to take on the beast.

Fire Opal climbed up onto the burning room of a house and started to leap across the rooftops of the village, following Carnelian to watch her. Carnelian was what Fire Opal called a "hands-on" fighter, like most Quartzes. All body and little to no weapons. She was lucky that the ability to shapeshift was a common trait of Gems.

Carnelian came into view, roaring at the alpha dragon before charging at it. The dragon snarled and clawed Carnelian in the chest, knocking her down for a few seconds before she jumped back up and flew above the dragon as it tried breathing fireballs at her. Carnelian just dodged the blasts as she flew above the dragon. Before the dragon could retaliate, Carnelian landed onto its head and held it down with her paws as she bit out a large chunk of its neck and crushed its skull with her foot, leaving the rest of the creature's body to topple down with it. Carnelian roared in triumph before reverting back to her original form. The light from the fire outlined Carnelian's silhouette in a strange, yet beautiful way. Carnelian looked back in Fire Opal's direction, and even from there she could see the fiery glint in her eyes and the evil grin on her face.

Fire Opal felt her face blush before she heard the angry cry of the second alpha dragon, most likely mourning the death of its partner. It was in that moment something washed over Fire Opal like an attack from a Lapis Lazuli. It was a determination. An aspiration to make both Carnelian and Howlite proud. She would prove to Carnelian that she was worth her time, and to Howlite, wherever she was, that she had become stronger under her wing. Fire Opal strapped her bow down tightly and ran towards the second alpha as it bashed buildings and other dragons with its tail and paws in its wrath.

She couldn't wait. She couldn't stand to have to run all the way to the scene. For the first time in ages, Fire Opal used her pyrokinesis to form flaming wings to propel her there faster. As she got closer, she could see the other soldiers, well, what was left at least, trying to fight it off. There was no use for them. Only her.

Fire Opal landed rough, yet graceful as she slid onto the dirt and ashes of the ground in front of the beast. Compared to it, she was only the height of its claw. Nevertheless, she had a plan.

Scattered shouts from the other soldiers echoed only quietly in Fire Opal's ears.

"Fire Opal!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Quiet! She can help us!"

"Get out of the way!"

She wouldn't listen. She had only practiced using her powers with Howlite a few times, but otherwise she would practice on her own. Fire Opal closed her eyes, slammed her fist into her palm and tried to focus. She tried to turn the world into an airbrush painting and drown out all noise as the dragon bent down and opened its mouth to incinerate the entire Militia with one blast.

 _"Take care of them for me."_ The voice that once soothed Fire Opal now angered her as it lingered in her mind.

Fire Opal felt something inside of her. It was rage, pure and undeniable rage. She felt a heat behind her but couldn't see that she was creating a mirrored image of the alpha dragon out of fire. The other soldiers were astonished, even Carnelian, who had showed up just seconds before. For the first time ever, Fire Opal's spirit took on sentient, its white eyes glowing as it flew into the cavernous mouth of the dragon and grew larger and larger in size until it exploded out of the gut of the beast in a blinding, white inferno, blowing the creature to pieces and annihilating part of the village with it.

Fire Opal opened her eyes just as Carnelian jumped off the roof of a nearby building to see her. Fire Opal was astounded by the damage she did, but more so afraid of what she was capable of. Carnelian's ascending footsteps came into focus as she ran over and shook her shoulders. "Fire Opal!" Fi had noticed that Carnelian had three deep cuts in her chest just above where the cloth wrapped around her breasts. They oozed blood, but Carnelian didn't seem to mind.

"Master?" Fire Opal asked as though awaiting another command rather than a compliment.

"What did you do?" Carnelian answered with a question.

"I think I got rid of our dragon." Fire Opal said.

Carnelian chortled. "Heh, you may just be useful to me yet."

"You there! Thank you for saving us! How can we ever thank yo-" A humanoid gazelle creature sprinted over to Carnelian gratefully, only to get shut up by a chokehold by Carnelian, who crushed their neck, brutally tore off their head and tossed it away.

"As I was saying, I thought I was powerful, but you...you're a beast! You're a freak of nature! Come on, let's move on to the next village." Carnelian grinned before starting to walk back to the speeders.

"A freak of nature..." Fire Opal whispered, looking around at the damage one last time before following Carnelian and the rest of the Militia to their speeders.

* * *

 _ **Now think to your fallen foes! The ones who forced you to push past who you were, and become who you are now.**_

 _ **-Winter Schnee**_

 **Behold the Fire Opal and Carnelian short in all of its glory. (Not really.)**

 **Much like Howlite when she lost her vision, Fire Opal sort of lost her moxie when Howlite was taken from her. She went from a spritely young Gem to an insecure one who was almost entirely dependent on her new master, Carnelian, who really didn't give a crap about her. After proving her worth with her fire powers in this scene, Carnelian is more eager to train her and they eventually become good friends and equals.**

 **I always felt like Fire Opal had this Avatar/Legend of Korra feel to her and her design. Her outfit is very similar to Korra/Katara, except with a fiery color palette. She also sort of copied Howlite's long braid look. She is very similar to a Lapis Lazuli when it comes to the nature of her powers, as exemplified with the wing technique seen in this short. Fire Opal's powers in this scene are like a mix of Lapis' hydrokinesis, firebending, and Weiss' summoning in RWBY. Ever since that battle, Fire Opal's spirit has manifested in that dragon.**

 **By the way, I loved the episode** ** _Alone at Sea_** **, even if I did see a few flaws on Jasper's character that made her sort of shallow. The relationship between Lapis and Jasper is a great metaphor for an abusive relationship and I love how the Crewniverse is tackling this issue in a kids' show.**

 **A few years back, I had this friend. In hindsight, many would say it was a mentally abusive friendship. It messed me up pretty good and is the source for a lot of my anxiety. It was nothing like Lapis and Jasper, but it did leave me feeling trapped, alone, and I felt like I could never rest or let myself have fun without worrying about what she was going to do next. What her next scheme or plan was to make my life miserable. And even though I'm free from that I still worry about that with all of my friendships. Yet, I can kind of understand how Lapis sort of craves Jasper, and not just for sadistic reasons like taking out her hate. I'm not sure which character I relate to more now, Lapis or Peridot hehe**

 **These past few episodes, especially** ** _Kiki's Pizza Service Delivery_** **and** ** _Alone at Sea_** **have been strangely resonating with me, which is probably why I've been working on these shorts a little bit more than I should.**

 **Okay that was really off topic...what was I talking about?**

 **Oh yeah, Broken Together. This is probably the last short. I hoped you guys enjoyed these!**

 **REVIEWS ARE ENCOURAGED!**

 **(Also Rose and Greg were so cute is this last episode like Rose is how I want to act around babies but instead I'm like, "Get that thing away from me." Haha I also call my friend's younger sister and toddlers "humanlets".)**


	53. Sneaky Peeky (Announcement!)

A blinding light seeped between the eyelids of an unknown, unnamed person. She blinked her eyes open for the first time, then squinted at the light once more, which radiated from a bright white Sun that hung over her at the zenith. Her first view was the sky, clear, grey, and cloudless. Her instinct was to sit up, and she did. Her view shifted from the sky to the horizon and the ground she was sitting on. The landscape was strangely flat, a wasteland that seemed like it could only sustain shrubs and a small forest on the horizon to her right. She looked to her left, and in the distance was a large, alabaster building, like a laboratory of some sort, that just about camouflaged with the sky.

After taking in a good view of her surroundings, she looked down at her form. It was fairly tall and lean, with tan, smooth skin. She held out her hands in front of her, studied them, then touched the palms together. She could feel things. It was strange, she already knew how all of this worked, yet she wasn't sure where she had learned it. Her form was unrecognizable, but the planet she was on wasn't. The feeling of moist dirt on her skin wasn't unfamiliar, and neither was the occasional gusts of wind that blew across the land, and her eyes had adjusted to the sunlight fairly quickly. In fact, she even knew what all of those natural occurrences were called, and could describe them. But, she wasn't sure where she had learned this information. She used her hands to feel her face and hair, which by using this tactic, discovered that it was shaved into a curly mohawk. The fact that she woke up like that was perplexing, but she didn't think much of it at the moment. All she could do was make the first decision of her new existence, go left to the strange building, or go right towards the forest. She took her first, wobbling step towards the building, but a voice in her head stopped her.

 _Don't go there. It's dangerous._ It said.

Not having any form of better judgment, she turned towards the forest and began walking, the ground, which was a mix of dirt and sand with the occasional cluster of shrubs, feeling soft on her bare feet. As she kept walking, she kept stumbling upon grooves in the earth, like something had been there, and this was the imprint it left behind. She figured that there were no animals here and that maybe the residents in the mysterious building had done it, before continuing with her journey, which was completed by the time the Sun set behind the forest and the night shifted in with its millions of stars. She took a few steps into the forest, the ground harsher on her skin, before looking back beyond the edge. The mysterious building was still on the horizon, like it was following her. The ivory roof of the thing was now lit up on the inside with lights, but she continued to walk into the darkness aimlessly, not growing weary even after the long walk. As the night grew darker, the forest surrounding her did too, and the deeper she went in, the way in which she came disappeared behind her. The trees loomed over her threateningly, the moonlight projected the silhouettes of their branches so that they looked like claws trying to snatch her. The noises of animals caught her ears, the coos and calls of birds and the scurrying of small mammals in the bushes that brushed and occasionally scratched her legs. She noticed the occasional glowing eyes in the darkness, studying her as she walked. There were multiple eyes staring her down, but she knew it wasn't those that gave her the strange feeling she was being watched. It was something bigger, stalking her.

She stopped walking, her muscles tensing and her heart racing under the pressure. She kept listening for something approaching her, but the only sounds she heard were leaves blowing in the wind. Her eyes scanned the area around her, but there was nothing moving that she could detect. It was too dark at this point. She shifted her feet, cracking a few twigs. Seemingly in reply, something else snapped twigs as well, and a quiet hissing echoed like a whisper in the brambles. Her eyes widened and a glowing pink and blue light radiated gradually out of her chest as she snatched a thick, sturdy branch off the ground, knowing she had to fight on her own. The hissing grew louder, and out of the thorns, two, bright green eyes glowed and rose, revealing that they belonged to a giant, black scaled serpent, the eyes being the most prominent feature. The serpent snarled a growl that was like a mix of a roar and a hiss with its fangs drawn, and lunged towards her with the intention to swallow her whole. She rolled out of the way, and after getting a mouth full of bush, the serpent coiled around her, surrounding its prey so that it couldn't escape. She swallowed nervously, her grip on the branch she wielded as a weapon sweaty and shaky as the serpent prepared to pounce once more, its massive head blocking out the moon, and its light, compromising her vision.

But, that wasn't the case. Suddenly, the serpent roared in agony and uncoiled itself. Behind its massive body was a woman who wore a long, jade green kimono and black wedged sandals underneath the regal silk garbs. Her obsidian hair was in a tight bun, with only a few curly strands escaping. She held two cleavers with wide and sharp blades that glinted in the moonlight, one of which was dripping blood. Her skin was dark, darker than hers, and her eyes an intense hazel. The bottom half of the serpent leaked ruby liquid onto the ground, and the creature instantly went after its attacker. It slithered towards the woman, knocking trees over in the process, but the woman, with a running start, leaped over the open jaws of the serpent and landed on its head, right between the eyes. The serpent desperately tried to buck her off, but to no avail. The woman dug her blade into the serpent's scales for leverage, then made a motion with her hand that made it look like she threw the other cleaver out completely. However, connecting her first finger and the handle of her blade was a long chain, which allowed her to slice things from long distances. The second cleaver stuck its end into the neck of the serpent. The woman jumped off the head of the snake and swung under its bottom jaw, before landing back on the head, which made the blade slice around the neck and sever the snake's head completely. With a final cry of agony, the serpent was decapitated, and after the bloody head of the creature landed in front of the unnamed person, who spectated the fight in awe and fear, the limp and lifeless body followed. However, that wasn't the peak of her interest. It was the mysterious woman, who after killing the serpent, put her cleavers away and approached her.

"What was that thing? Who are you?" The unnamed person asked. It was her first words, and they seemed appropriate for the situation.

The mysterious woman stopped in front of her, so close they could feel each other's breath. The woman's breath was abnormally cold and it sent a chill down her spine. Her hands were like ice as she cupped her face with one hand and grinned. "You don't already know?" She asked quietly. She shrugged. "Interesting. This should be fun."

"What?" The unnamed person asked, confused before the mysterious woman smiled, her eyes flashed with malice. She felt a sharp pain on her neck, a needle. Out of her control, her body grew limp and fell into the woman's arms. Her eyelids fell, and she was back in darkness once more.

* * *

"Rho. Her name is Rho." A voice that the unnamed person recognized as the mysterious woman. She had a name now and was somewhat grateful for it. A name was the beginning of an identity. Survival came first, but once one achieves it, other parts of them feel empty. A name is a gateway to fulfilling those other things, and it may even be the secret to thriving. She refused to open her eyes, she held them tight so that she might eavesdrop more.

"I recognize her, Mawsa. I know her...well." Another voice cut in. Rho didn't recognize this one, but there was a strange deja vu to the smooth tone of it. Both of these voices felt like honey to the ears, sultry and low. Rho also figured that Mawsa was the mysterious woman.

"Do you? Well, then working with her should be fascinating. I'll be in Laboratory One; stay with her until she wakes up, Hazel." The voice of Mawsa came back, and after speaking Rho heard slow footsteps receding.

"Yes, madame." The second voice, who's name was Hazel, said quietly. It was silent for a minute as the echoes of Mawsa's footsteps continued to fade away. Once it was completely quiet, Hazel spoke again. "You can open your eyes now, she's gone." She must've figured out that she was faking.

Rho opened her eyes to her new surroundings. It must've been the interior of the building she saw the night before. It was stark white, just like the outside. It had ceramic tile flooring and drywall walls. She was laying on a cot with light blue covers that felt like paper and she was dressed in a white cotton nightgown with lace on the neckline and on the end of the sleeves. As she looked around, Hazel caught her eyes as the most colorful thing in the room. She was wearing the same clothing as Rho, but her skin was a deathly alabaster, so much so that you could trace every sky blue vein. Her hair was in a braid that reached her knees, and the color was the equivalent of a raven's feathers, black with a pearly luster. Hazel's eyes had heterochromia, her right eye was a sharp gunmetal blue, almost silver against slightly bloodshot scleras. The left eye was a dark hazel, like Mawsa's eyes. Rho assumed that's how Hazel got her name. Rho couldn't come up with any conversation topics, but something tugged at her tongue, like she already knew this girl.

"You're Hazel, right?" Rho asked stupidly.

Hazel nodded solemnly. "And you're Rho."

Rho shot her a confused look, but she only replied with a tight-lipped smile. "So, can I just ask what's happening here? What do you and...Mawsa, do here?"

"What, were you born yesterday?" Hazel asked before giggling. "I'm sorry, I say that to everyone who comes here. You're a smart girl, Rho. You'll figure it out. Everything you experience will just be instinct, so I don't see the point in explaining the obvious."

"Of course," Rho said, her tone less than thrilled.

"Come on, I have to take you to the library, and then the arsenal, hook you up with a life starter pack." Rho got out of bed and began to follow Hazel down a long, winding, white, ceramic, tube-like hallway. While walking, she began to explain some things. "Our species is born into adulthood, so we don't have to deal with that useless infantile stage. You just wake up, and it's instant indoctrination, now isn't that handy? I managed to sit in on your physical examination, Mawsa performed it while you were knocked out. You don't have a warrior build. You're too scrawny, but then again, I'm a warrior class, and I'm not the beefiest. Eh, you're practically untapped potential. After I get you all the things you need, books for study, clothes, and a good weapon, Mawsa will lead you through your first test. Each test will determine where you fit in on the home planet. If you don't fit into a category, well, let's just hope that you do."

"So, this isn't the home planet." Rho was just beginning to retain the information that Hazel spat out for her.

"Nope. The home planet is apparently way better. Xerith is the ultimate planet, a thriving city of innovation and advanced society all overseen by a trio of rulers, the most powerful deities to ever live. As you'll read in the books, it is the destiny of them, and the rest of the species, to conquer the never-ending cosmos, acquire every resource and slaughter everyone who dares stand in our way. The last time a group of Xerithians stood in the way of the trinity of Gods, it didn't end well. But, of course, you probably already know this story very well. It's why this planet is barren, with only savage creatures as residents. This place used to be beautiful." Hazel closed her eyes as if suppressing memories before resuming. "But forget I ever told you about that. It's our destiny to be the most superior race. It's our goal, even. And these things just have to happen."

"I see. And we'll be going to Xerith soon?"

"In three weeks, yes. Your brainwashing won't take long. I've been here for ten years, so I know the content and tests backward and forwards. Mawsa likes to keep me around as a mentor for newbies, and as the only one left of our kind until you showed up. I'll admit I've been lonely, but I'm used to it. The real test is learning to live with another person again. The library is just down the end of this hallway." They were coming upon a three-pronged fork in the corridors. Hazel gestured to the right turn, and she glided the curve, her footsteps making no noise, like she was flying. Meanwhile, Rho couldn't help but notice that she dragged her feet, despite them being bare and practically weightless.

Rho had no idea why a building containing only two people would have so many rooms. There must've been fifty rooms in that sector alone, or, at least, fifty doors all leading to places Rho did not know. She was almost too afraid to peer through the small peeking holes on the doors. It certainly was tempting, but Hazel kept urging her along. Maybe she could check them out later.

The room they were heading for, however, was located behind a door at the end of the hallway. The small, dim light bulb dangling from the ceiling looked like it hadn't been changed out in decades, and it flickered weakly over the door. Rho wondered why Mawsa had kept such an important area so poorly sustained. Hazel was not hesitant in opening the door to the library and leading Rho in. The library was also very poorly sustained. There was not enough lighting in the room, only a few dimming lights to guide one through the dark, towering shelves of books and holograms. The dormant holograms glowed blue, giving off a little bit of light. There was not much space between the shelves, so Hazel and Rho had to cram next to each other as they scoured.

"Why would you guys need so many books?" Rho asked.

"Mawsa is the recorder for the Trinity, she has recorded every event, every life, in Xerithian history. There used to be an entire committee of people writing the record, but now it's just her, deciding how history should be read, who the heroes were, who the villains were. If you want to read millions of years worth of history, go right on ahead, but there are only a few things you need to know, to get by. You can look around, I'll be right back." Hazel explained before walking off and leaving Rho in the labyrinth of shelves. As she looked around her with wonder, she realized that none of the books on that aisle really interested her.

She kept walking until she heard and was startled by something, like a breeze, a breath, a whisper. It didn't seem like Hazel to be mysterious on purpose. She seemed more like a jokester to Rho, a jokester that knew when to be serious. Rho followed the whispers, knowing that they came from a certain direction. Rho quickly lost her trail, being confounded and led astray from Hazel the more turns she took, passing towers and towers of books, documents, and holograms, each stack dustier than the last. Rho kept her eyes down and her ears alert to the whispers that grew louder but never more distinct as to what the whispers were trying to say. Like a song stuck in her head, but worse, Rho felt her first taste of madness that only grew grievous as she neared the destination to satisfy it.

Finally, after Rho weaved through the stacks, her pace getting quicker with every step, she was inhibited by a solid wall, the end of the library, the other side of the labyrinth that seemed nonexistent before. It was the oldest and dustiest spot. Against this wall was a shelf, half replete with books, the other half, a collection of holograms that lit and dimmed weakly, like they were on their final breaths, nursing before death. The whispers were on fortissimo now, and they wouldn't end now matter how tightly Rho clutched her ears. Such hallucinations would verify her defective, and she knew she didn't want that. She had to end them. Rho tried to satisfy the urges of the voices by reaching for a hologram. It was a grey cube that occasionally scintillated turquoise. Rho tried to study it as she held it in her right palm, but the hologram the cube contained came surging out in a blaze of blue. It projected a scene on the wall that Rho watched intensely.

The scene was a dark room lit very dimly by white light, like the library, without all the books. The floor was stark ivory tile and the walls grey. The hologram didn't seem to tint the scene blue, to Rho's surprise. It was as vivid as a well-made movie. She didn't care at the moment, focused on the lone shadow in the center of the room. It was a feminine shadow. Her body was lean and flexible looking, like a dancer's. She held her head low, almost submissively, her boyishly short white hair with black roots just masking her face. Her delicate, pale hands remained placed over her chest. Her shoes were white as well, a pair of boots with black laces. The silhouette stayed that way until a noise slashed through the quiet, a growl that had become familiar just by the one encounter Rho had with the savage beasts of that planet. This was a test, and this girl was the subject.

A hulking, furry creature resembling a mix between a buffalo and a bear hobbled into view, its form being an exponentially bigger shadow than that of the girl. Its hind legs ended in hooves that the beast stood on, and the front legs were large paws with claws like hooks that dangled as it loomed over the girl, who didn't seem fazed. It roared, shaking the holographic projection but not shaking the girl as she took her hands away from her chest and held them out gracefully, as a gymnast would before a great leap. She took a step back, her boots making noises against the floor. Once she did this, she looked up again at the beast, who snorted, its breath manifesting in vapor from the evident cold in the room. Rho saw the girl's chest light up lilac and periwinkle as she sprinted towards the beast, her hands glowing the same color as her chest as ice formed will each footfall. The beast tried to knock her back with its paws, but she cleverly ducked under them and slid across the ground under the beast and came out next to the tail unharmed. The entire floor was frozen in an ice skating rink by then, and the girl's boots had converted to ice skates.

The light finally revealed the girl's face. It was cold and serious, like Mawsa's, yet her green eyes were strangely kind, not lifeless and dutiful like the rest of her expression. She wore nothing but a black leotard, the color contrasted with her skin and hair. She moved her head as to whip her hair out of her face as she watched the beast struggle to turn around, repeatedly slipping and falling on the ice as it did so. It grunted in frustration and continued to move as the girl stood poised on the shining blades of her skates. The beast finally turned, although still having trouble remaining balanced on the ice. It nevertheless tried to charge her, slipping and sliding towards her with its great mass. The girl skated towards it effortlessly, and a few feet before the snarling head of the creature, the girl jumped, landed on her hands and used them to push the rest of her body onto the beast's head. The blades of her skates dug right in between its eyes and drew blood as it cried out in agony. The skate part retracted back into the girl's boots and in the beast's vulnerable moment, she grabbed onto its horns and used them to lift herself onto the nape of its neck that was a grassland of fur, a biome in itself to the girl. She waited for the beast, in its size and registers of sensation, to forget about her, to see her as merely a mindless flea in its mane.

Once it did, the girl's skates came back out again and dug as a pinch into the beast's tender flesh. It snorted and rustled as an attempt to knock the girl off, but she began to leap and flip, landing multiple times on the creature's neck and slicing through it, trying to get through the strata of fat and muscle to get through the veins important to life. Each flip was coordinated perfectly, each blow made in time to a metronome that the girl had built inside of her until the beast finally shook her into the air by arching its back violently. She flew, not looking frightened in the slightest before she landed on the beast's less furry back, where she continued to do backflips like it was a balance beam. Her skates cut the skin with every landing until she reached the tail. By then, her landings left behind an incision that oozed ruby liquid from the middle of the back to the tail. She jumped off the beast and stopped to reach into her boot, where an extra set of skate blades was stored. She replaced the blunt and bloody blades with the newer ones before going after the beast for a final strike.

With each gliding stride across the ice, silver dust sprayed up from the blades of her skates. The giant beast tried whacking the girl out of its way as it continually tried to hobble and avenge its wounds. Its fur seemed to puff up in anger as it snarled and bore its teeth, a wrathful sight that still didn't seem to quake the spirit of the girl on skates. She circled around the creature and headed straight for the wall of the room. With a wave of her icy hands, the wall froze, and she jumped onto the wall, her skates holding her feet so that she defied gravity before pushing off the wall, doing another flip so that her blades aimed for the skull of the beast. She hit the beast between the eyes with both feet at the speed of a bullet, and impact and pre-existing cut fused with the sharpness of her skates combined to slice through the skull of the beast and knock it dead. It collapsed on the ice, and the girl jumped off unharmed. She dusted off her hands, her glowing chest slowing growing dimmer before finally going dark.

The hologram retreated back into the not as dusty box in Rho's hands, as she stared in a trance of awe and slight confusion.

"Rho! Rho!" She could hear Hazel's voice calling her, and getting closer, along with hurried footsteps until Rho heard them skid to a halt behind her. That was enough to snap her somewhat out of her trance. She whipped around to Hazel with an anxious expression. It was met with a mournfully shocked face from Hazel. Maybe Rho wasn't supposed to find those holographs. Hazel's head was peeking at Rho behind a large stack of books and holograms she held with both hands. The tower wobbled unstably. Hazel dropped the books abruptly with a loud thud and approached Rho.

"Wait, was I not supposed to be here? I'm sorry, I didn't know. You see, there were these whispers-"

"You found them." Hazel smiled, taking the hologram of the skating girl out of her hands gently.

"I did what? Were they lost or something?" Rho asked.

"No, not at all. I always knew they were here. How did you say you found them?" Hazel asked, not looking away from the hologram in her hand.

"I heard these whispers, they were so strange, I just had to follow them." Rho shrugged.

"You hear them too! Oh, thank goodness!" Hazel smiled even bigger.

Rho shot a confused look at Hazel. "You weird me out more and more every minute I'm here."

"Hey, you're just as crazy as I am." Hazel held up the hologram in her hand. "And so is she." She gestured to the wall behind Rho. "And so are all of them. We have one thing in common." Rho tilted her head quizzically. "After discovering that our souls, our very life forces, our spirits, are physical parts of us that can transcend death, rather than an abstract concept, Mawsa saw it as a chance to further improve on Xerithian society. Immortal Xerithians, outside of the Trinity of Gods."

Rho's eyes widened. "So you're saying?"

"Mawsa has spent centuries here, on this planet, the site of a great war. This planet is all that remains of the first and final stand against the Trinity of Gods. Once souls are shattered, like glass, their shards remain inactive. That's the only way to completely annihilate someone. Slaughtering one's corpse can kill, but the soul remains until shattered. The Trinity, in their wrath, shattered every Xerithian that stood against them. We are remnants of them."

"So, our souls are basically fallen warriors smushed together?" Rho asked.

"Right, because molecules are just atoms smushed together," Hazel said sarcastically. "I'm surprised you choose such crude language to describe us."

"Sorry, but what happened to this girl? And all these other Xerithians?" Rho changed the subject. The question was all she could think about after hearing Hazel finally give some answers.

"Edelweiss. She was the last Xerithian who Mawsa found on the planet. She and I were," She paused. "Very good friends. And her fighting style, I had never seen before, and neither had Mawsa. We were getting ready to leave for Xerith when she vanished without a trace. That's what happened to these other ones, too. They were here one minute, gone the next." Hazel explained with stoic wistfulness.

Rho felt anxiety hit her like an elbow to the chest. If these other Xerithians disappeared, does that mean Rho would disappear too? And why did Hazel not vanish after all these years?

Hazel must've seen this in Rho because she immediately changed the subject to a positive one. "We've spent enough time in here." She walked back over to the book stack and picked up half of it with both arms. "You take the rest. Follow me."

Rho lifted the stack of books with a few strained grunts, her arms feeling an aching pain the longer she held them as she followed Hazel back through the path from which she came from the back wall to the door, the library lighting seemingly growing dimmer the longer they stayed. By the time they got out of the library, Rho was thankful to be back in the brighter lights, but she had a lot more to contemplate after leaving that library, and something told her that she would return to the labyrinth again. Her eyes were blocked by the towers of books and holograms she had to balance, yet she followed Hazel well without bumping into things, as much.

Hazel led her down more hallways until they reached another door. Behind this one was a large locker room, with rows and rows of metal lockers, and on the wall across from the door were multiple weapons of multiple types that hung on racks, waiting to be chosen. All of the lockers were interestingly filled, but one. This one was right next to Hazel's in the row directly in the center of the room. The floor tiles were white but faded with wear, and the paint on the walls was worn as well. The lockers had gathered rust in the places the silver paint had chipped off. On the other side of Hazel's locker was one that looked in good condition. Between the small holes in the locker meant for design, Rho could see neatly folded clothes, with a pair of white boots with black laces resting on top of them. Hazel looked to this locker and quietly sighed, figuring that Rho couldn't hear before opening her locker and proceeding to dress in battle wear. The base layer of this outfit consisted of a plain white spandex body suit, then another bodysuit of some chainmail material. Over that, Hazel put on a suit of samurai armor with matching boots, the pads being mainly black with white around the rims. Her body was almost completely covered by the pads, her chest and abdomen down past her crotch in a rigid tunic. Her knees, shins, and elbows were covered as well. Wrapped around her waist was a belt that carried multiple silver throwing knives. There was no helmet, but Hazel looked certain she didn't need it.

Hazel looked to Rho, who looked confused seeing as there were no clothes in her locker. She smirked, held up her first finger, which told Rho to wait as she reached into her locker and presented Rho with her own clothes. The more Rho thought about it, the more she realized that it seemed as though Mawsa and Hazel were already prepared for her. Rho took the clothes, a dark blue short-sleeved athletic shirt, and light pink leggings, along with black combat boots. Hazel left Rho to her own business, heading for the weapon racks silently. Rho didn't bother following her, because once she finished getting dressed, Hazel had already left the locker room, leaving her to find her way to her side again.

Rho eventually found and followed Hazel into a spacious room painted grey, the walls, the floors, everything. They didn't bother to put pads on anything, not that safety ever mattered to these people anyway. The room contained a course of various traps and obstacles, each one more difficult than the last. She wasn't sure how long the obstacle course was, but Rho figured she'd be dead by obstacle two. The first was a wall that was meant to be climbed or vaulted over, but after that was a cat's cradle of lasers that one had to maneuver themselves around. After that, a balance beam that had to be crossed. Underneath said beam was a deep pool of water, and circling inside was a creature, merely a shadow that lurked impatiently for failure. While crossing this beam, large, axe-like blades swung back and forth like pendulums. On the other end of the pole, another animal was chained to the wall, waiting to pounce. It was a giant, sand-colored, alligator-like monster, with a tail that resembled a scorpion's, barb and all. It banged its tail against the ground, that thundered and shook with every blow. Rho was amazed, but more so afraid of the obstacle course. Mawsa and Hazel seemed bored staring out ahead at it stoically. In Hazel's hands was a tomahawk, and as Rho walked beside her, Hazel whacked Rho playfully with the butt of the handle before giving it to her. "Eyes up, Rho." She said. "This is test number one."

"What? We have to do this?" Rho asked, even though she already knew the answer. She just didn't want to accept it, not yet.

"This is meant to test your strength and agility. You and Hazel will work together to defeat the Desert Leviathan." Mawsa said solemnly before stepping back, smiling. "Good luck."

Hazel turned to Rho. "Don't worry, Rho. It's not that hard." She smirked and winked, her chest glowing mainly white with a hint of bronze before pulling two knives from her belt, twirling them, and sprinting towards the wall, her braid waving behind her. She leaped and dug her throwing knives into the wall, almost like the way Mawsa dug her cleavers into the serpent on the night Rho met her. With a few light grunts, Hazel flung herself off the wall to the other side, her braid being the last thing Rho saw.

Rho gulped nervously and followed after Hazel, mirroring her actions by jumping onto the wall and sticking her tomahawk into it to use as a hand and foothold. She dangled from the handle of the tomahawk for a second before swinging and doing a clumsy backflip, landing on the tomahawk that was stuck in the concrete barrier. As she balanced on the handle of iron wrapped in leather, she realized both she and her weapon couldn't go over the wall together. Her height made it so that standing on the tomahawk boosted her over the top of the wall. Rho draped her arms over the wall and gripped tight, releasing her legs and wrapping her thighs around the axe and pulling the tomahawk out with her leg strength. She pulled herself up to sit on the concrete barrier, axe and all. Rho pulled her tomahawk out of her thighs and jumped down, landing face first onto the floor and into the cat's cradle of lasers. She looked up to see that Hazel was already almost done with it, bounding and sliding between the red lines with ease, even showing off a bit with gymnastics moves and somersaults, not even letting her hair or stray clothing catch on them.

Rho took her time on this one, sliding on her belly and stepping over each laser, fearful of what happened if she made a mistake. At one moment she looked up to see Hazel just finishing the laser portion, looking behind at Rho and giving her a thumbs-up and an encouraging smile before getting through the balance beam in a few flips. Rho felt envy as she watched, and she was almost so distracted that she walked right through a laser. She gritted her teeth competitively and went through her laser avoidance ritual a bit faster. She beat herself up for taking so long, fearing that Mawsa had other important tasks to get to besides watching her fail. As she walked the corridors with Hazel, she saw so many offices and laboratories that all belonged to Mawsa. Whatever she was doing, it had to have been important, for something, or someone on the home planet.

She finally completed the lasers and moved onto the balance beam, slowly. Two steps in, Rho's foot slipped and she fell so that the bar nailed her in the crotch. She let out a soft whimper before struggling to get on her feet again. Finding no way to stand at this point, she crawled on her hands and knees across the balance beam, military crawling whenever under the swinging axe blades. Hazel would stop to watch her when not keeping the leviathan at bay. She seemed amused by Rho's predicament. Rho found her amusement taunting. She continued to shimmy across the balance beam, and her entire body was shaking once she crawled off the iron pole. She laid there for a few seconds before Hazel called after her.

"Eyes up, Rho! We're supposed to work as a team!" Hazel shouted as the rolled out of the way of an oncoming strike from the leviathan's tail.

Rho jumped up, adjusted her sweaty grip on the slippery leather handle of her tomahawk, and ran towards the leviathan. However, once she got there, she was unsure how to handle the situation. "What do I do now?"

"Pass me your tomahawk real quick! Try not to get killed while I use it!" Hazel yelled as she threw one knife into the leviathan's left eye. It roared in agony and tried to snap its massive jaws on Hazel, but she jumped as they closed, landed on the creature's forehead, and proceeded to run down to the leviathan's neck to use Rho's tomahawk to break the metal bondage keeping it from coming completely unglued on Rho and Hazel. Rho could see the similarities between Mawsa and Hazel's fighting styles. It was freaky how similar they were. Hazel broke the chain with a loud metallic clank, then jumped off the animal as it started moving towards Rho at a frightening pace. Its massive body slammed against the walls, leaving large dents with each collision. The ground shook as the leviathan's feet and tail pounded against the concrete.

"What are you doing? Don't set it free! I thought you were the smart one here!" Rho shouted as she started running away from the leviathan. It continued to chase her, gaining on her with bounding strides. "Hazel!" Rho whined. "Help me out here!"

Hazel face-palmed, looked apologetically to Mawsa, who somehow had moved to the other end of the obstacle course, and sprang back into action. She ran to catch up to Rho, and they were now running side by side. Hazel tossed the tomahawk back to Rho, who fumbled with it for a few seconds before getting a grip. "Aim for the nape! That's its weak spot!"

"There's _always_ a weak spot, isn't there?" Rho replied sarcastically.

"Just listen! I'll distract it, although you are doing a very good job of doing that already." Hazel said before slowing down and turning to confront the leviathan. She licked her lips and exchanged the knives in her hands for new ones on her belt. Rho stopped for a second to look back at Hazel, who seemed too focused to notice.

Rho sprinted with an extra bit of energy she had saved up, although she was so exhausted her legs felt like wet noodles. She ran a half circle around the leviathan, ducking in a surprising boost of agility under its swinging tail, before making a kamikaze jump face-first into its flank. The creature looked back abruptly, its long snout nearly whacking Rho against the flank again. Rho climbed up the leviathan's back and ran across the rough terrain of its spiky scales, the sight of its tender nape being the finish line in the life-threatening race. Hazel watched anxiously, hoping that Rho would at least come out of this alive. She had never lost someone to this test, and she wasn't about to let Rho be the first. Just as Rho raised her tomahawk, ready to strike the neck, Hazel ran towards the chest of the leviathan, hoping to penetrate its armor-like scales with her small dagger. Before Hazel could reach it in time, she was surprised. The beast fell at her feet in a fountain of blood, and standing at the top of the fallen animal was Rho, who had a satisfied smirk on her face despite the fact she knew she failed the test.

"I don't know what exactly I did, but it worked!" Rho shouted triumphantly before jumping down in front of Hazel.

Hazel couldn't help but smile. "It certainly did. I'll make a warrior out of you yet." Hazel winked again. She always did that, and Rho never knew why. She would close her left eye, the hazel one, and leave the silverish blue one, like that was a signal that Rho was supposed to recognize, but couldn't. It was always that way with Mawsa and Hazel, they were both so experienced in the ways of the world, and it was as though they were waiting for Rho to figure it out. As if she was just going to get all their inside jokes and signals overnight.

Rho and Hazel approached Mawsa, who looked expressionless when congratulating Hazel on a new time, and even more so when telling Rho that she simply wasn't gifted in the area of physical strength. Rho was baffled by this, seeing as it was only the first day, but she was too afraid of Mawsa to confront her. Hazel guided her out into the corridor, then led her to a new room, a bedroom full of bunk beds, all with metal frames and grey covers with white pillows. As Hazel shut the door, Rho finally spoke.

"What was that?" Rho asked. "Not gifted in the area, pssh! Come on! It's only the first day! How long have you been doing it, years?"

"Don't be so loud!" Hazel whispered. "She might hear you!"

"I _want_ her to hear me! I want to redo the test!" Rho shouted.

"Why?" Hazel suddenly reverted back to a calm state. It was strange. Hazel was just a strange individual, like Mawsa.

"Because...I don't know! I just think I should have some time to practice before taking a test like that and determining my worth that quickly. Don't you think? Were you just naturally good when you started?" Rho asked. She had no idea what came over her, or why she cared so much.

"Yes. It was like I had done it all before. Every step I took was already embedded in my muscle memory...that's what Mawsa's looking for, Rho. Our society works off of people's strengths. After utilizing soul essence, that's when our society began to grow. Everyone was born with a purpose. There was no questioning who you were or who you wanted to be anymore, you just woke up with your life hardwired into you." Hazel explained.

"That can't be it. Can it?" Rho asked.

Hazel shrugged and seemed slow to nod like she wasn't sure. "There'll be more tests. You'll find your place, don't worry."

Rho kept her eyes to the floor and her arms wrapped tight around herself. She nodded quietly. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen to her if she failed all of the tests, if she didn't fit into a category. It wasn't so much the impending punishment she feared, but the lack of direction. She had no direction now, but she couldn't imagine living without finding a purpose to do so. She made it her quest to find out everything about herself so that she could fit into a category on Xerith, or even create her own. This new life was a leap into a dark abyss of uncertainty and confusion, and she pondered these things as she and Hazel turned into bed, Rho being on the top bunk and Hazel being on the bottom. She closed her eyes as the first of many days slowed to a close.

* * *

 **Ah, only a peek.**

 **So I did mention a new project in my latest Skimming the Surface AN, so I figured I could give you guys a little peek into what I'm up to. It's an original remake of Broken Together. The plot and characters, revised and set into an original world conjured up by the mad scientist known as me. I mostly just posted this to build hype and to maybe get some critiques from you guys. But, enjoy! The scenes in the sneak peek are the first two chapters. :)**

 **REVIEWS ARE ENCOURAGED!**

 **(Oh, and I'll be working a lot lately on my new _RWBY_ fic, _New Visitors_. Check it out!) **


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